Breaking Silence
by Silent.Assassin.Number0001
Summary: Those who do not understand her silence will never understand her troubles. Who will be the first to help her escape her silence? N Harmonia x OC Fanfic \Improved story of my previous one: Silence Speaks a Million Words\
1. The Beginning

**A/N: Welcome to the new and improved Breaking Silence N x OC Fanfic. This story was once called Silence Speaks A Million Words, but I've refurbished it to the best of my ability and hope that it will be better than the old one. Don't worry fellow fans/followers; I didn't change much. :) Now, I will introduce the character:**

**Madelynn Smith is a girl of fifteen years who has just started out her journey in Unova, taking an Oshawott she's named Julian as her starter Pokémon. Her long, wavy, dark purple hair is parted to the right side. She has piercing icy-blue eyes that compares to the Antarctic waters. Her personality can be described as friendly, caring, and polite. Moreover, Madelynn is an introvert and favors being alone, but keeps Julian by her side at all times. She has a love for art, poetry, books, and photography.**

**I'll tell you this, too: Madelynn has an anxiety disorder, but I won't tell you what it is until the end. :) So, enjoy the story~**

**P.S: HORIZONTAL LINES INDICATE A TIME SKIP!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

Up in the heavens, the large star shines furiously behind its clouded prison. Occasionally, the clouds tease the sun and let its radiant beams of light touch the earth only for a few moments until they decide to obstruct its rays once again. The puffs of whiteness taunt the star as their actions are repeated over and over again. Suddenly, a violent blast of air blows them out of the way, allowing the sun to shine in the blue sky without any problems.

Due to this, the sun's unbearably high temperatures of summer also accompany it. I strip off my jacket and tie it around my waist, and then jerk at the collar of my tank top repetitively, attempting to cool myself down... with little to no success seeing as how little a breeze came from it. My attention goes to Julian who is lying over my shoulder and panting to try and keep cool.

I ask the Sea Otter Pokémon, "Why don't we just sit down for a bit, hmm?"

I answer myself by sitting down on the ground with my legs crossed. Julian slides forwards off of my shoulder and lands in my lap with a weary smile. He's battled more than twenty Patrat over the few hours we've spent trying to find Accumula Town. No wonder he's exhausted.

While my finger traces around his scalchop, I say to him, "With any luck, we'll be in Accumula Town before the day's over. I'll be able to get you into a Pokémon Center so you can rest there. How does that sound to you?"

With a yawn, Julian nods, closes his eyes, and rolls over onto his side only to doze off within two minutes. I smile inwardly as I hear his calm breathing, and I reach my hand up to stroke his head soothingly.

Before today, I never thought that I'd have such an incredible Pokémon like Julian. His strength in battle combined with his will to keep going even after enduring many hits amuses me. In this one battle with a particularly strong Patrat, after being tackled more than five times in a row, the Sea Otter Pokémon got back up on his feet and blasted it with a powerful Water Gun attack, knocking it out soon after; however, Julian was extremely tired after that battle, so I came to the conclusion that I should stop pushing Julian and let him rest for a while.

Suddenly, I perceive the sound of rustling close by. The grass brandishes about as I look to the right of me; something is approaching us. Instincts tell me to run, but I'm immobile; my body is frozen to the spot with fright. I retain my breath while my heart begins pulsating faster. _What is that? Is it a human? A Pokémon? ALIEN?!_ I ask myself, picking up and holding Julian close to my body in a desperate attempt to keep him out of harm's way... just in case it might be something dangerous.

To my relief, what comes out of the grass is nothing more than a regular old Patrat. I chuckle lightly as I think to myself how foolish I probably looked. If someone saw me, who knows what I might've done; I'd probably faint or something of that nature. I place Julian on the ground next to me, then direct my attention back at the Scout Pokémon who appears to be covered from head to toe in bruises and scratches. Before I can say anything to it, Patrat collapses to the earth beneath it, trembling and whining in pain. Quickly, I gather the suffering Patrat in my arms and jump to my feet.

I nudge Julian with the tip of my boot lightly as I try to wake him up, but all he does is push my foot away, and then rolls over onto his other side. Looking back at Patrat, I observe it seizing its stomach. The Scout Pokémon grits its teeth in agony and squints its eyes. Again, I nudge Julian a bit more forcefully and say to him in a panic, "Julian, you need to wake up!"

Still with no sign of waking, he continues to sleep, but now he begins snoring rather loudly. Becoming a bit agitated, I decide to crouch down and poke him repeatedly with my index finger all while saying "Wake up" every time I poke him.

Julian soon jumps to his feet and yells, pointing his scalchop directly at me, "_**OSHAWOTT, OSHA****!?**_"

"I'm sorry," I apologize, knowing that what I did to him was in fact pretty irritating, "but this Patrat needs our help."

I show the Sea Otter Pokémon the Patrat whimpering in pain, and in return he looks at me with an apologetic expression.

"Don't worry about it Julian," I affirm and pet his head sympathetically. "Let's just worry about Patrat. We need to get it to a Pokémon Center right away."

Once I rise to my feet, Julian climbs up my legs and crawls up my back until he reaches my shoulder. Without another word said, I take off down the route, hoping that Accumula Town isn't much farther away.

* * *

I pass a few rather nice houses, so I know that I am now in Accumula Town. Julian clutches my shoulder with a death grip, trying his best to hang on what with the speed I was going while I sprint down the paved roads, but at the moment, Patrat is my main concern. With each step I take, never once did I look away from the Scout Pokémon as it flinches and whimpers in pain.

"Miss, watch out!" a male's voice comes from right in front of me, but it's too late for me to put on the brakes.

Julian hops off my shoulder before I collide with the person and fall to the ground on my left side, holding Patrat close to my chest to save him from harm. I look down to see the Scout Pokémon still in great pain, but okay nonetheless.

As I push myself up off the ground with a free arm and sit up, my eyes wander over to my right to see Julian darting towards me and Patrat. "Oshawott, wott, osha?" he asks in concern. I reply with a smile and he hugs my arm tightly.

After, my attention goes over to the male who is knocked flat on his back a couple feet away from me. He leans up on his elbows, rubbing his temple in irritation and asking himself, "Damn, what hit me? A Bouffalant?" He blinks his eyes twice and looks at me first with anger, and then with remorse; at this point in time, I look away to avoid eye contact. Soon, I hear footsteps approaching me, getting louder with each step. I make an effort to scoot away, but as soon as I get up to my feet, he's already in front of me. This makes me recoil and step back a bit, then hang my head so that my bangs cover my eyes.

"A-Are you okay?" the man asks me. "You aren't hurt, are you?" He then gasps, and as I look up to see why, I notice that his eyes are locked on Patrat who is now breathing quite heavily. "Y-You're Pokémon-!"

I embrace the Scout Pokémon securely while Julian scurries up to my shoulder. The very instant the male is about to say something else, I propel myself forward and shove him to the side, abandoning him at the spot without saying a word; I keep my eyes glued on the pavement as I dart for the Pokémon Center no more than fifty feet away from us.

"OshOsha, oshawott?" Julian questions.

I glance over at him; however, I didn't reply. There's no time to explain to him why I did that because Patrat is getting weaker and weaker with every second that passes, so I return my gaze back at the Pokémon Center. I take a fleeting glance down at Patrat. _Hopefully, someone will be able to help Patrat... or else... it'll..._ I shake my head from that thought and rush through the sliding automatic doors, almost crashing into the glass as I didn't wait for them to open up entirely. Within the Center, I persist with my running and proceed up to the counter where I see a pink-haired lady standing behind it.

Realizing that I'm only a mere few feet away from crashing into the desk, I turn my feet to the side like I'm riding a snowboard and skid up to it. The woman shrieks in fright and ducks behind the counter, but before I can collide with the reception desk, I manage to slow myself down and come to a halt just inches away from it. Both Julian and I heave a sigh.

I notice the lady gradually rise up from behind the counter and ask us worriedly, "What's the ru-?"

Without looking at her, I hold out the injured Pokémon in front of her face, interrupting her sentence. She takes Patrat out of my hands, and at the same time as I'm getting ready to turn away, she says, "My goodness gracious! This Pokémon is completely worn out! Is this your Pokémon?!" I shake my head in reply and walk away quickly to have a seat on one of the couches. Whilst I do this, I hear her go through the doors to the medical wing and call to a Pokémon who I hear to be 'Audino'-her voice is blocked out by the metal doors soon after.

I hang my head in regret as I think to myself how I may've been too late, that nothing can be done to save it, or that Patrat may not survive. Julian nuzzles into my neck with concern, aware of my remorse for the Scout Pokémon. He slides down my arm like a pole and parks himself in my lap, looking me in the eyes and patting my leg as if telling me that everything is going to be okay. As a reward for his actions, I scratch around his ears and stroke him on the top of his head. Patiently, we both remain in the lobby and wait to hear the news about Patrat.

Ten minutes roll by before I hear doors slide open. Footsteps move towards me and Julian, and I hear the woman say, "The Patrat you brought in was in pretty bad shape. I could tell that it was in a lot of pain the moment you handed it over. I'm guessing it was in a battle before you saw it."

I keep waiting to hear that Patrat passed away...

She continues with an unhappiness-filled tone of voice, "Patrat was covered head to toe with patches of discolored fur, many scratches, a couple small gashes, and sores. Because of this, I honestly thought that it wouldn't make it over the minutes I spent with Audino trying to heal the poor thing." Her voice suddenly changes to a more joyful tone. "However, you were in the nick of time when you brought it here. That Patrat certainly wouldn't have pulled through had it not been for you."

Though she can't see it because my bangs hang over my face, I smile with joy at this very moment. Tears begin to form at the corners of my eyes, but I wipe them away immediately because I don't want her to see me cry.

"By the way, my name is Nurse Joy," she greets with a bow. "If you want, I can take you back and show you how Patrat is doing."

In response, I lift up my head a bit and nod as Julian hops up onto my shoulder. Smiling, she turns on her heels and walks toward the medical wing; I trail behind her while we walk through the automatic doors.

Inside, I notice that the room Patrat is being held in is an area with glass windows. Surrounding Patrat are a couple of pink and cream colored Pokémon. I decide to use my Pokédex for the first time and obtain it from one of the pockets within my bag, and then direct it at the creatures in front of me. _**Audino, the Hearing Pokémon. Audino can access a Pokémon's overall physical condition and mood using its ears.**_

"Right now, those two Audino are healing Patrat as best they can," she confirms. "By tomorrow morning, Patrat should be fully healed and feel better than ever. Why don't you rest for the night and stay here? I'll even heal your Oshawott for you."

I nod and hand over Julian to Nurse Joy who then immediately walks away with him. Julian looks over her shoulder and waves at me until they both round a corner, and I can no longer see him. My feet seem to act on impulse as they move towards the door of the healing room. My right hand clutches the handle and turns it, but as I open the door, the Audino inside confront me with displeased expressions.

"Please, I wish no more harm to Patrat," I verify. "I just wanted to see if he is okay."

The Audino look at each other and nod, then walk out the door, leaving Patrat and I alone. The Scout Pokémon is still whimpering, but his whines of soreness aren't as pain-filled as it was when I first saw it. Looking around, I find a small stool next to the door and slide it across the floor over to Patrat's bed. Once I take a seat, I reach out my hand and stroke its bruised fur gently, hoping not to hurt it. I then lie my head down next to it.

"Patrat, please make it until tomorrow," I tell it sleepily and yawn. "Y...you have to... make... it." My eyes close afterwards as I feel my mind slip into darkness.

* * *

**A/N: Allright, to those of you who haven't already guessed it or who just scrolled down quickly to see what the anxiety disorder was before reading, Madelynn has Selective Mutism. SM co-exists with shyness or social anxiety, and it is an anxiety disorder where she is capable of speech yet is unable to speak in given situations or to specific people-such as when she didn't talk to Nurse Joy or when she prevented eye contact and ran away from the stranger when he talked to her. She is freely open to talking to Pokémon, however, as this causes no complications or anxiety for her. It's only people who freak her out. **


	2. New Friends and Newer Enemies

**A/N: Welcome to the second chapter of my new and improved story.**

**Warning: Madelynn will need two bars of soap to wash out her mouth by the end of this chapter... scratch that, two bars of soap and a gallon of detergent. xD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

A soft, soothing voice echoes throughout the pitch black nothingness of my mind as I slowly but surely stir from my deep slumber. The room around me is blurry; my vision still adapting to seeing something other than the back of my eyelids. With a yawn, I reach my arms up towards the ceiling in a much-needed stretch after sleeping hunched over all night, and I then wipe away the sleep powder that had accumulated over the hours of night from my eyes.

"Madelynn, are you awake?" I hear Nurse Joy ask me.

I turn to face her and answer with a nod, still without looking at her eye-to-eye and maintaining a vacant expression.

Once she clears her throat, she tells me, "It's nearly twelve o'clock in the afternoon."

Remembering that I'd slept next to Patrat the entire night, I look over to observe it dreaming peacefully. I also notice that the bruises and scratches that used to cloak his body are completely gone. His breathing patterns have soothed, as well.

"Patrat should be fine by the time it wakes up," she proclaims. "In the mean time, why don't you eat while you wait for Patrat to come around? I'm sure by now your stomach is about to digest itself. I could hear it while you slept."

I feel my face heat up once she mentioned that and turn away from her while squeezing my stomach tightly to keep it from growling-this really doesn't do anything because as soon as I do this, a rather loud grumble comes from the pit of my stomach.

Nurse Joy laughs, "We better get you something to eat, stat!"

Though I would enjoy some breakfast, my mind is concentrating more on the well being of Patrat rather than food. I don't want to leave it alone, and what if something bad were to happen to it while I'm gone? At that moment, two Audino come into the room and stand at Nurse Joy's sides. She explains, "I know how much you want Patrat to be kept safe which is why I thought it would be helpful if Audino came in and took over until you returned. You don't have to worry. Patrat is in very good hands."

Both Hearing Pokémon nod in agreement, and without another word, I rise from the stool I was sitting on, bow to her to show my gratitude for everything she's done, and exit the room hurriedly.

* * *

After I finish eating, I pat my mouth with a napkin and fold it up only to place it on the empty plate in front of me. My stomach is completely full; I don't think I can eat anything else otherwise I'll pop. They'll have to spray me off the walls if I take another bite.

"OshOsha, oshawott!" I hear Julian cry from across the room. This makes me look to my left and watch as Julian runs at me full speed; Nurse Joy follows behind him. With a smile on his face, he leaps into my arms and I hold the Sea Otter Pokémon close to me in a loving embrace.

"Your Oshawott is feeling a lot better this morning," Nurse Joy states. "He was very well-mannered during his healing, and there were no complications. He's a very sweet Pokémon." After, she bows, and then walks off towards the medical wing where she disappears behind the metal doors.

I cock an eyebrow and look down at Julian, "Is she telling the truth?"

"Osh, oshawott, wott, osha!" the Sea Otter Pokémon vows, nodding his head frantically.

"I don't know," I tease. "It sounded like she wasn't telling me the whole story."

He bends his head foreword about an inch away from my face and continues, "Oshawott, osh, osha, wott, wott, oshawott!" I can tell he's trying his best to let me know that he was, in fact, good for Nurse Joy.

I giggle for a short moment before speaking, "Haha, I was just kidding, Julian." My fingers brush against his cheek as I try to calm the stressed Pokémon down. This appears to work as he leans into my hand with a pleased sigh.

Suddenly, an enormous explosion reverberates throughout the entire building and shook the area around us, making both Julian and I scream in panic. The deafening detonation forces my eardrums to experience an atrocious ringing, but as I cover my ears, that noise is all I can hear. Though the ringing prevents me from hearing one tiny thing, I can still see Nurse Joy running towards me with a look of fear in her eyes. I observe her mouth moving, but the horrendous chiming is still all I can hear at the present moment. As I remove my right hand from my ear, she's in the middle of her sentence as she shouts, "-to come quick! People have broken in and are taking the injured Pokémon!"

_Oh no! Patrat!_ I think, grabbing hold of Julian and dragging him along as both Nurse Joy and I run into the medical wing. We spot two men in the room Patrat is being held in; both males have the same white suits on, so they must be a member of some kind of group. Adrenaline charges through my body, and just as they're about to take the Scout Pokémon and put it into a burlap sack, I tuck the Sea Otter Pokémon close to my chest and collide with the glass window, shattering the barrier between me and the robbers. I land perfectly on my feet and release Julian as we both stare down the men in front of us with an intense glare.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Nurse Joy questions the males heatedly. "They don't belong to you!"

"Pokémon should belong to no one but themselves!" one of the men states.

"Exactly!" the other agrees. "These Pokémon are exhausted and hurt because their trainers have pushed them to their limits! It's our job to liberate them from these cruel people before anything else happens to them!"

My blood boils as they speak. _Just who do they think they are?!_ I notice that the second male who talked secretly has Patrat in his arms. _I'm not letting them leave with Patrat!_ I think, picking up a glass shard and pelting it at the man holding the Scout Pokémon. A jagged edge of the piece of glass slashes the man's left sleeve, and when he notices, his eyes seethe with anger as he roars at me, "What's the big idea?!"

I hold up Julian's pokéball, and then point at the Sea Otter Pokémon; however, the male didn't seem to understand. Instead, he asked, "What does that mean, you insolent little brat?!"

_I hoped you'd say that_, I think, and then call out, "Julian, use Water Gun!"

At once, a forceful stream of water is fired from Julian's mouth and hits the male directly in the stomach, forcing him to be knocked flat on his back from the strength of the attack. Luckily, Patrat made it out of the man's arms before he was hit with the water gun, and I see it scampering over to me unharmed, and then the frightened Pokémon hides behind my legs.

"You'll pay for that!" the first male who spoke earlier states, reaching for a pokéball.

Nurse Joy points her finger at the man and orders, "Audino, stop that man with Secret Power!"

I turn around to find two Audino standing behind me. Before they did anything, I retreat to the rubble-covered ground and seize both Julian and Patrat in my arms, and then hold them close to my body to protect them from anything else that might happen. Following this, the Audino launch their attacks before the male has time to call out his Pokémon, sending him flying back out of a noticeably large hole in the wall behind him-I suggest this is the hole created from the explosion earlier.

I release my grip on Patrat and Julian and sigh as I see that it's all over. After, I direct my gaze down at the Pokémon in my arms. "Are you two allright? Are you hurt at all?" The reply with a shake of their heads.

A groaning noise makes me look up to see one of the men struggling to his feet; his suit is drenched from the water of Julian's attack. He glares at me as he states, "You all are fools to oppose our perspective about Pokémon." He looks over at his partner who is just now standing up, but is having some trouble staying on his two feet. "Let me help you, my comrade." He walks over and holds out his hands as a gesture for his friend to take them; gladly, the male nods and grasps the other's hands, pulling himself up. The man with the drenched suit throws a sack at me, and as it hits the ground, stolen pokéballs roll out of it. "You win this time, kid, but you won't be so lucky next time!" Afterwards, he obtains something round from his pocket, bites off something from the top, and throws it down where a dark cloud erupts from it upon contact with the ground.

_Ack! I can't see anything!_ I think, coughing as I sometimes breathe in the smoke. The coughs of Nurse Joy and the Pokémon around us I can also hear, but I'm focused on finding the Pokémon as I feel around for them on my hands and knees. As soon as the smoke dissipates, I note that the two men have vanished from the room, and they've left the pokéballs, too. I rise to my feet while Patrat and Julian push the bag filled with pokéballs over to me, and then retrieve those who've rolled out. I bend over and clutch the sack, then turn to Nurse Joy and offer it to her; Patrat and Julian give the extra pokéballs to the Audino.

"Thank you for helping out, Madelynn," Nurse Joy says with gratitude and takes the bag from my hands. "I'm glad you helped me get these Pokémon back. I must say: your Oshawott is a lot stronger than he looks." She and the Audino bow to us. "We're forever in your debt."

I shake my head with a pardoning smile, rejecting her last comment.

She giggles, "Well, I can tell from how you've helped out so much that you're a very caring trainer for Pokémon and people alike. That's a sign that you will become a great Pokémon trainer."

Though she can't see it, I smile at the kind words she spoke. Soon, I feel Julian climbing up my legs and my back where he then reaches my shoulder. Then, I feel something tugging at my ankle, and as I take a look down at my feet, I see Patrat looking at me and smiling.

"Hmm, I think Patrat might want to go with you," Nurse Joy suggests. "I mean, you did save it's life, and you helped it escape from those two thieves. If we returned it to the wild, the same thing might occur, and both you and I won't be around to help it out."

_I see,_ I think and take out an empty pokéball from my bag. As soon as I show it to the Scout Pokémon, it unexpectedly jumps up and hits the pokéball with its small hand. A red light envelops its body and it is retracted into the ball. It only shakes twice before a chiming sound signals to me that Patrat is officially caught. My arm reaches out to obtain the pokéball; I smile secretly as I think about my newly caught Pokémon. Julian also seems to enjoy the new addition as I see his reflection on the pokéball smiling excitedly.

* * *

"Now, don't hesitate to come back!" Nurse Joy hollers and waves as I depart from the Pokémon Center. "Buh-bye, you three! Happy travels!"

Julian and I wave back at her before turning around. My attention goes to the Patrat walking beside me. I ask it, "Patrat, would you like a name?"

It glanced up at me and smiled in response.

"Allright, from now on, you'll be addressed as Chester," I affirm, stopping in my tracks to crouch down and pet my new Pokémon on the head.

"Hey, did you hear that this weird, green-haired guy dressed in a fancy robe is protesting about Pokémon in the middle of town?" a male's voice comes from ahead of us.

I take a moment to look up and observe a young girl and boy talking to each other.

"No, I didn't," the girl replies. "And he's protesting about Pokémon?"

The boy answers, "Apparently he's saying that Pokémon and humans shouldn't live together or something like that."

"Well, that's just not right!" the girl states in shock. "What are we waiting for, then?! Let's go check it out!" The girl seizes the boy's wrist and drags him behind her as they both hurry down the road.

I propose they're going to the town square to listen to the lecture. Still, this also piques my curiosity, but I don't want to be surrounded by too many people. However, as I'm thinking about going as well, I realize that Julian and Chester are now rounding a corner ahead of me. I sigh in aggravation and think, _I guess I have no other choice but to follow them and have a look myself._ After, I follow the road, hoping that Julian and Chester haven't gotten too far away.

* * *

"_Julian! Chester!_" I call out quietly as I come upon a mass gathering of people.

In the midst of trying to find them, a loud male voice booms over the voices of the people, making me jump and yelp clandestinely, "People of Accumula Town, allow me to introduce myself. I am known as Ghetsis, and I am here on this day to talk to you all about the wonderful creatures we call Pokémon."

The entire area turns dead silent; a couple people whisper while some hush those who are still talking. I decide not to call to my Pokémon anymore-thinking that my repetitive whispering may displease those around me-and continue the search for Julian and Chester in quiet.

"Miss, have you lost something?" a familiar male's voice asks me from behind. I whirl around to find Julian and Chester in his arms; both look at me like they were wondering where I've been for the past few minutes. Before I can do anything, he says, "Oh, I know you." He leans in a bit to examine me closely, but I turn my head away from his intense stare to avoid any eye-contact. After, he backs off and chuckles, "Haha, yeah, I know you! You're the young lady who accidentally ran into me. My sincere apologies for not warning you sooner, but I'd just looked up myself before telling you to watch out." He laughs a bit more, but I remain expressionless. "Anyways, I'm guessing these two are what you're looking for?"

I nod as both Julian and Chester hop out of his arms and onto my shoulders, and then bow to him to express my gratitude for finding them.

"By the way, my name is N," he greets, holding out his hand for me to take it; however, I stand rooted to my spot-immobile. He shakes it off by scratching the back of his head in an awkward fashion before chuckling lightly. "Not a hand-shaker, I assume?"

My head shakes side-to-side in response to his question. I've always had a tricky time attempting physical contact with a human, but seeing as how he doesn't know that, I can't blame him for wanting to have a proper greeting.

"Allrighty then," he says. "Since I gave you my name, may I know yours?"

_Hmm..._ I mull over, trying to find a way to tell him my name without having to talk. _I got it!_ My hand fumbles through the pockets of my shorts, and before too long, I acquire my trainer's card. Afterwards, I hold it out in front of him, and he gently pulls it from my grip.

"So, your name is Madelynn Smith, huh?" he questions. "That's a nice name." N hands over my card in which I yank out of his hand and shove back into my pocket.

Ghetsis is aready in the middle of his speech befre N and I decide to listen in, "... and the Pokémon are pushed to their maximum before their trainers realize that their poor, weakened Pokémon need help. They strive to please their "partners" when all they ever do is use them. Some trainers think that Pokémon are like tools. When those tools get rusty and don't work at one hundred percent, they are abandoned and are replaced my newer, stronger, more durable tools that last just a bit longer than the old ones. In time, the new tools become the old ones, and the cycle happens all over again."

_What a creep!_ I think in disgust.

He continues, "Pokémon are not like us humans; they are better than us in numerous ways. They have far more potential than we can understand, and we humans do not understand them completely. They are creatures whom we humans have much to learn from. We have a responsibility towards these Pokémon, and to save them from this cruel way of life, what must we do?"

_This guy is down right insane! Who'd really answer this dumb question?!_

To my surprise, N replies, "Liberate the Pokémon!"

My eyes widen and I gasp under my breath when I hear N answer... with that kind of response! I look over at him with an expression of complete and total amazement that he said that. _Liberating Pokémon?! What kind of solution is that?!_

"That is correct!" Ghetsis exclaims, pointing out to the crowd. "Whoever said that is absolutely right. The only way Pokémon can be truly happy is if we release them from their captivity and let them run free in-"

He is cut off by a jet of water striking him in the face. As I look over to my right, I discover that this water is coming from Julian; the expression on his face is pure resentment.

The moment the water is turned off, Ghetsis spits and coughs up the water that had entered his mouth. After, he shouts irately, "**WHO. DID. _THAT?!_**" His eyes scan the population of the crowd before his stare rests on me, and he points a rigid finger at the Sea Otter Pokémon placed atop my shoulder; his eyes hold the look of vengeance as he yells, "How **_DARE_** you! I will not be bothered by such a rude action! Members of Team Plasma, seize her and bring her up here this instant!"

Two members wearing the same outfits as the ones who broke into the Pokémon Center shove people out of their way to get to me. Instincts tell me to run, but just as I'm turning around, I'm confronted by two more members-these ones apparently hid in the crowd or something-who immediately imprison my wrists with their strong grip. I lose all control of myself as I kick and squirm to break free of their hold on me, all the while screaming bloody murder at the top of my lungs. The other two members snatch Julian and Chester from my shoulders; at this point, I'm absolutely terrified of what's going to happen to me and my Pokémon.

Though I put up a good fight, they drag me to the front of the crowd and toss me up carelessly onto the stage. My back takes the full force of the throw once I land; the wind is knocked right out of me, but I try to hide it by rolling over on my right side so the people in the crowd can't see me in pain.

Loud footsteps approach me. "You insignificant little brat," I hear Ghetsis' voice above me. His voice is even more harsh and abrasive-and scarier-in person than over a microphone. I cover my eyes, hoping that everything will just go away if I do, yet Ghetsis continued, "I was waiting for something like this to happen. I was waiting for a trainer to use their Pokémon to get the result they want. It appears my waiting is done."

"Oshaaaa...!" I hear Julian cry out followed by a gurgling noise. Julian must've used Water Gun on the man that held him. Afterwards, I feel stubby hands pushing against the hands still veiling my face, and as I peek through my fingers, I see Julian and Chester looking at me with worry. My arms shoot out and capture the distressed Pokémon in my arms, and then I bring them to my chest and embrace them like I haven't seen them in years. This is more than I can handle; I'm already far beyond my highest anxiety level.

"Now do you see what I'm talking about?" Ghetsis questions the crowd. "Pokémon learn from us humans through experience. Pokémon want to please us as best they can, but some don't often know how to do it, so they become like their trainer in order for their human partner to be satisfied. Pokémon can inherit their trainer's attributes very simply. That Oshawott has obviously gained this trainer's ill-mannered attitude. Because she is impolite, so are her Pokémon. Let that be a lesson to you all."

"I have had just about _**ENOUGH OF YOUR LIES****!**_" I yell at him in a rage, jumping to my feet and pointing a finger at him. "If you must know, both me and my Pokémon are very well-behaved! The only reason my Oshawott did that was because he was sick of listening to you talk shit about trainers and how they abuse their Pokémon! Not every trainer in the world is as awful as you say they are! And I can't believe you'd even have the nerve to go running your damn mouth about me! You have no idea who I am, yet you run your mouth like you do! I can tolerate other people's opinions when they keep them to themselves, but if you say one more fucking word about how my Pokémon are ill-mannered, I'll personally make sure that you won't have the ability to say anything ever again!"

Ghetsis stares at me dumbfounded; his lips stuttering to find the right words to say to me, but I persist in my rant, "And do you really think that freeing Pokémon from the hands of humans will make them any more happy than they already are? Pokémon have been accompanying humans for generations, and now you expect the world to give them up?! It's people like you who make me sick. Forcing your beliefs onto people who have a different opinion won't make them change, so _**BACK OFF, JACKASS****!**_"

Again, the crowd grows silent, and as I replay in my mind what just happened with what I just said, my face feels like it's being held against a blazing flame. Never in my life have I ever cursed or spoke with that kind of tone... or for that matter, even spoke at all to a person, but this isn't just one person; this crowd holds at least twenty or thirty people, and with all eyes staring at me, my body feels weak and unbalanced. My breath hitches at some points, and it feels like my heart is racing at a mile a minute. Without another word, I run off stage in a panic... but before I get as far away as I would've liked, I suddenly lose all consciousness.

* * *

**A/N: So, did I tell you or did I tell you? :D Madelynn has a mouth on her when she gets pissed! xD Okay, so to those of you who've already read it, Chapter 2 has received a major face-lift, 3,000 words turn to over 4,000 words, and I introduce Madelynn's newly acquired "If You Make Me Pissed Off, You're Gonna Pay The Price" side. WOO! At least now this story has a reason to be rated T for Teen.**


	3. Understandment

**A/N: And here's the third improved chapter! I will say that I'm actually starting to like this story now that I'm enhancing the chapters a bit. What do you think? And yes, I know that N is somewhat out of character, but who the hell does know how to really portray N in these kinds of stories? He's sooo mysterious, and the makers of the game sure as hell don't give us much to work with, either. Dx**

**Disclaimer: I do not - in any way - own Pokémon, okay?**

* * *

"Hey. Madelynn, are you awake, yet? ... Madelynn?"

_Is this a dream? It has to be... I can't really be hearing his voice calling my name, can I? No... this is just a dream._

"Madelynn, please wake up," N's voice calls out to me worriedly throughout the darkness of my mind.

_Wait... this... this isn't a dream. Allright, time to wake up, Maddie..._ Slowly, I regain consciousness and squint as I perceive a bright white light burning my eyes. The blurry images soon become clear as I let my eyes wander around and survey the area I am in. All I can see, however, are just a bunch of trees... and I also notice N sitting right next to me.

N sighs in relief, "Haha, you're finally up. I was starting to get a bit worried you'd never wake." He flashes a cute, boyish smile at me that makes my heart flutter a bit as I sit myself up and hide my eyes behind my bangs.

"OshOsha, oshawott, wott!" I hear Julian's voice filled with distress as I watch him dart across the ground and tackle me into a hug once he reaches me. I laugh in surprise, and then pat the Sea Otter Pokémon on the back in reassurance that I was okay.

"Good," N says. "There seems to be no troubles after the-"

I am suddenly struck with an insufferable pain that pounds against my head. My hands cling desperately to my forehead while I grit my teeth and scream through them in response to the severe pain I feel. This torture dictates my consciousness, and I lose all control of my body as I throw myself back on the ground all while crying out as if I'm being murdered; at this point, I can't even tell the difference. The intolerable throbbing beats on the walls of my head with no holds barred, and I close my eyes tightly in the hopes that my suffering will end if I do.

I hear N shout, "Madelynn, you have to calm down!" His hands clasp around my wrists and he forces my hands away from my head; this freaks me out even more. Now, my screams of pain and terror block out his voice; my legs lash out at him to make him let me go, and even though I hit him at times, he doesn't set me free, yet this only builds up my stress levels. Not even the worried calls of Julian and Chester can calm me down.

"Madelynn!" he yells, his strong hold on my wrists still not loosening up. "Madelynn, calm down and look at me!"

In spite of everything he's trying to do to get me to calm down, it does nothing as I struggle to get out of his grip and keep kicking him. Suddenly, I feel his hands cup the sides of my face and hold my head in place, and the moment I open my eyes, my body freezes almost instantly; for the first time in years, I stare deeply into the eyes of a stranger... and I can't seem to look away.

N's eyes are a steel blue that matches the color of a late winter sky, and the light blue flecks of his eyes glitter and reflect the light from the sun, creating the illusion of snow falling. They are soothing as I gaze into them... and before I know it, I can't feel anymore pain in my head. As soon as it came, it left... just like that...

"That's better," he says with a smile, noticing a stray strand of my hair blowing in the gentle breeze that wafts past us and slipping it back in its place, then removing his hands from my flushed cheeks.

Julian and Chester rush to my sides once I sit up and cling to my arms while tears stream down their faces. I chuckle and welcome the Pokémon, taking them both into my arms and hugging them to set their minds at rest before placing them back down on the ground where they curl up next to me and fall asleep.

N raises his hand up to the back of his head, scratching with a nervous chuckle, "Guess I spoke too soon. What you just experienced was an after-shock headache most likely caused after you hit your head about thirty minutes ago." His eyes roam up to look at my head. "Thankfully, their seems to be no swelling or bruising."

_Yeah, because if there's a huge bump or bruise on my forehead he's not telling me about, I'm gonna die of embarrassment,_ I think, placing a hand on my forehead and rubbing it to make sure he's telling the truth. When I don't feel anything, I sigh with relief.

"Haha, do you not trust me?" N chuckles lightly.

_After what you said back at that rally?_ I answer him in my thoughts and simply give him a passing glance that tells of my slight dislike towards him.

He seems to understand when he informs me, "I know what I said back there wasn't really to your liking, but don't worry about that right now. Aren't you wondering how I found you in the first place?"

Though I'd rather not hear something else that will make me despise him anymore, I reluctantly nod.

"Well," he starts, "after the meeting in the town square was over, your Oshawott and Patrat came running to me. They kept pulling at my pants leg and telling me that you were in trouble, so I decided to follow them. When I reached you, I found you lying on the ground, and though I kept calling out your name in hopes you would hear me or do something, you were unresponsive. That's when I decided to carry you out of town and into this clearing in the forest where no one would bother us. That headache is the result of a concussion after falling, and it's perfectly normal to have severe headaches afterwards."

_Wait... he _carried_ me?_ I mull over.

"All that aside, how are you feeling right now?" N questions.

Smiling was my only way of expressing to him that I'm fine; I then revert back to my impassive look soon after and stare down at the ground. I feel awkward being around him now, and knowing that he _carried_ me just makes me even more uncomfortable, but what's really on my mind is what N had said back at the meeting in Accumula Town. Why would he say such a thing? I want to confront him about it... but how? If I say one more word, I'm going to faint again...

Suddenly, I get an idea as I look at my hands and then look at N. To get his attention from looking off in the distance, I brandish my hand in front of his face. Once I attain his attention, I aim my finger at him, and then point it back at me. He nods like he gets what I want him to do, so I pretend like my left hand is holding something while my right writes something on it.

"Okay, am I correct in guessing that you want to write something down?" he inquired.

_No, I just have a condition that makes my hands play charades,_ I think sarcastically with a secret smile, afterwards nodding.

N puts a finger up to his chin, "Hmm, I have a small notebook in my pocket." He reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a black pocketbook, handing it to me. "Will this work?"

Yet again, I take my right hand and act like I'm writing something.

"Oh yes, of course," he says with an embarrassed smile, pulling out a pen from the same pocket and offering it. "Sorry."

After taking both objects into my hands, I flip to the first empty page and write, '**Why did you say that we should liberate Pokémon? Do you actually agree with what that Ghetsis man said?**' I show him once I finish.

"Well, I understand what his goals are," he tells me. "And yes, I do think that liberating Pokémon will make us, Pokémon and humans, truly equal."

'**Why does it make any difference is they are in possession of a human or free?**'

"For starters, Pokémon are wild and free to begin with," he explains. "However, that freedom is limited to almost nothing when they are captured by a human. They are restricted behind the confines of pokéballs and are only called upon when they are needed to battle. Pokémon feel the need to please their partners. When they don't, they go into a state of dejection, and they are then retracted to their pokéballs, forced to wait until the next battle. Humans are not like Pokémon in many ways, but one of them is how we are boundless. We humans can do anything and everything we want... at least, to an extent. We take Pokémon for granted, and most of the time, we don't understand what a Pokémon really wants because we are not them. In my opinion, we haven't learned all there is regarding the Pokémon of the world. We've only just scratched the surface. Don't you see, Madelynn? Pokémon are wild creatures who should remain in their natural habitat where they can be free. If humans can be free, why not Pokémon?"

'**I get what you're trying to tell me: Pokémon are never free when they are caught by a trainer, but it isn't entirely true, N.**'

"Enlighten me."

I try to write down what I want to as fast as I can before showing him, '**For one, your point of view is directed towards all trainers. You're trying to force something you think is true onto others which isn't right. Not every one person in the world misuses or treats their Pokémon badly. Take me for example. I actually care for a Pokémon's well being, be it in my care or wild. I also try to give my Pokémon as much freedom as I have such as leaving them out of their pokéballs for extended periods of time, letting them eat with me, allowing them to play with other wild Pokémon, and the like.**'

"Ah, then you're one of the rare few in this world who treat Pokémon like real human beings," N affirms, yet sighs after. "However, one person isn't going to change my view on the relationship between Pokémon and humans." Just as I'm about to write something, he puts a hand over my notebook and adds, "And nothing you say, write, or do to me will alter my opinions."

Julian begins to rouse from his slumber; N concentrates on the Sea Otter Pokémon, then states, "It's odd. Both of your Pokémon seem to be very fond of you, yet they've only known you for a couple days."

'**Wait, how do you know I just got these Pokémon?**'

"Well, while you were recovering, I talked with them."

_He talked to them? Can he understand them or something?_ I wonder.

"They are very enjoyable, actually," N says. "Ghetsis is wrong. They are very respectful Pokémon, and they talked about you with such enthusiasm. Your Oshawott told of your heroism in saving Patrat's life after finding it near death, and then taking it into your care to make sure it didn't get hurt anymore. Your Patrat told me that it owes its life to you after what you did for it."

My eyes wander downwards to find Julian waking up Chester. I smile with gratitude at the Sea Otter Pokémon, and then write to N, '**Exactly how can you understand Pokémon? I thought that was impossible.**'

N chuckles in silence and takes off his cap, smoothing a hand over his tea green hair, "Ever since I was young, all I can remember is being around Pokémon." He places his hat back on his head and averts his eyes to the sky where translucent clouds steadily scrape across the infinite, blue heavens; I watch the skies as well while he carries on, "Pokémon are the only beings I remember living with in my life, and over the years that I've spent with them, I've learned how they communicate. Ever since then, I've been keeping Pokémon close to me at all times." A somber sigh makes me glimpse over at N; his bangs hang over his face, veiling his eyes from my view. "To this day, I don't know who my real parents are."

My heart pounds against my chest and breaks in two as I hear the sadness in his voice. How could I've brought up such a sensitive subject? I write to him on a piece of paper, '**I'm so sorry.**' Before I show it to him, however, I tap him on the shoulder to make him look at me, then let him see what I'd written.

He shook his head while dismissing my apology with a wave of his hand, and then says to me, "No, don't worry about it. It's quite allright. Talking about it makes me feel a bit better, actually."

A flock of Pidove suddenly explodes from the trees above us. Several plunge from the sky, and before they crash into the ground, they pull their wings up and come to a stop near N and I. I reach into my bag conveniently placed beside me and pull out my Pokédex. _**Pidove, the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon. Each follows its trainer's orders as best they can, but they sometimes fail to understand complicated commands.**_

"Hahaha, hey, what are you doing?" N's laughter makes me glance up from my Pokédex.

To my surprise, two Pidove are perched on N's shoulders while one rests on his right index finger. The two on his shoulders peck and pick at his hair while he whistles to the one on his finger. The Pidove chirps in delight and N laughs happily as he maintains some kind of melody with the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon. I can't refrain from smiling in amusement as I watch him interact with the Pokémon like they've already met. Then, I discover Julian and Chester playing with the Pidove, too; they chase them while the Pidove fly around to avoid being caught.

A few minutes pass before the Pidove have to leave and return to the skies above to fly away. N reclines on the ground and sighs peacefully, placing his hands behind his head and inquiring, "Aren't Pokémon just wonderful? Such inquisitive beings. They continue to fascinate me." He rolls over onto his side and puts his chin in the palm of his hand. "Now that you know about me, Madelynn, may I ask you a couple questions?"

'**Ask away.**' I write as my Pokémon hop into my lap and rest after playing with the Pidove.

It doesn't shock me when he asks, "Why don't you talk? You certainly can since you spoke at that rally."

'**Don't even remind me of that. I feel just awful about what I said back there.**'

N laughs a bit, "Well, you had the right to express what you felt. I didn't really agree with what Ghetsis said about you and your Pokémon, either. It wasn't right of him to accuse you of being something without getting to know you first. Anybody would've done the same thing."

I smile at him, and then I write, '**It's kind of a long story about why I don't talk.**'

"Please," N insists, "take as much time as you need."

Rapidly, I jot down everything I want to say before showing it to him, '**Well,** **my story goes back to when I was a child, too. Ever since I was little, I've been known to be very shy around people I don't know, such as other students in my school, teachers, and distant relatives, but I talked openly with my parents and a selected few of my family members whom I saw regularly. My mother and father thought that I was just being bashful, so they didn't think too much of it. Over the years, however, my shyness became much worse to the point where I wouldn't look at anyone or let someone touch me. Sometimes, I wouldn't even speak with my parents or hug them, so when they took me to a doctor to see what's wrong with me, the doctor told my parents that I had a case of Selective Mutism, a type of condition where I don't converse with anyone but those whom I know well enough to feel no uneasiness. By the time I'd open my mouth to say something to a stranger, I'd choke up, get nervous, and just stay quiet.**'

"Wow," N says with wide eyes as he looks at me with disbelief. "So, you feel uncomfortable when you try to talk with someone you don't know?"

I nod in reply as I continue, '**If I keep my mouth shut whenever I'm around strangers, I feel perfectly fine. I've actually lived a pretty normal life despite the fact I have SM, and my family accepts me for who I am.**'

"Huh, I would've never guessed it," N tells me. "If you hadn't explained all this to me, I would've just suspected you didn't like your voice or that you were extremely bashful." He smiles as he says, "You sure are something else, Madelynn Smith."

My face heats up after hearing him say that to me, and I turn my head to the right to hide my embarrassment. I don't know if what he said is a good thing or a bad thing, but I still feel like it's a compliment.

Afterwards, I notice N looking up at the sky when I take a momentary look at him. "Time flies when you're having a conversation. It's already starting to get late."

Examining the heavens, I see he is right. The sun is already setting in the horizon, making the skies turn a light red-orange color. I clutch the strap of my bag and place it on my shoulder, but before I can rise to my feet, N asks, "And where do you think you're going?"

'**I was just about to leave.**' I write back.

He shakes his head as he states, "It's too dangerous to go out wandering the woods during the nighttime hours even with your Pokémon. You take one wrong step, and before you know it, you're falling over the edge of a cliff. For now, you and your Pokémon must rest."

I laugh silently as I watch him lie down on the ground and place his hat over his face to hide from my view while he falls asleep. With a sigh, I pick up Julian and Chester from my lap and place them beside me. After, I raise my hands to the sky in a stretch and recline on the ground. The air of dusk drifts around us, making the grass dance with the gentle breeze and rustle the leaves of the trees. My eyes become heavy, and before I know it, I'm already falling asleep.

* * *

**A/N: I stayed up all night writing this. O_O... I never want to do that again.**


	4. Battle For What's Right

**A/N: Just so we're clear on this, the bold words inside the single quotes are what Madelynn has written. She isn't talking. Now, enjoy the NEW Chapter 4, my pretties. ;)**

**NOTICE: Madelynn is hiding something from N because she fears he will use it against her if she tells him. Can you figure out what it is before she tells him later on in the story? Well, if you do, keep it to yourself, please. Don't try and ruin it for the rest of the readers. :)**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not - in any way - own Pokémon.**

* * *

_My subconscious is dark and empty as I walk around, hearing nothing but the tapping of my own two feet, though there is nothing beneath me. The air around me is arctic, and I notice my breath is coming out as small white puffs. _

_"Madelynn," I hear my voice calling out to me in an echo._

_Wait. Why am I hearing my own voice? I stop in my tracks as I hear my voice calling for me. My eyes wander around the void that is my mind as I try to pin-point the direction my voice is coming from, but it's like it reverberates off of unseen walls; however, as I look around a bit more, I suddenly spot a young girl about the age of five walking up to me. _

_She comes to an end a couple feet away from me, and as she lifts up her head, the floodgates in my eyes break; tears stream down my face as I recognize the child before me. The short, curly purple hair, the large, blue eyes, the pale skin... she is me from ten years ago._

_The hand mark on her right cheek brings back my memories from long ago, but they are too painful for me to bring to mind. I crouch down to her level and hold out my arms in front of her. She willingly seals the space between us and wraps her small arms around me; I feel my shoulder becoming damp as I hear her sobbing. My hand strokes her hair soothingly while I hush her to get her to calm down._

_She sniffles, "Why'd they have to do it to me, Madelynn? I thought they loved me?"_

_"I know, sweetie," I tell her as a lone tear slips down my cheek. "I know."_

_She backs off a bit and wipes away her tears with the tattered sleeve of her pale pink dress, and then looks at me; her icy-blue eyes glisten from her crying. "Why'd I have to be so bad?"_

_Again, I embrace the child in my arms and hold her in my lap as I pet her soft hair and say to her, "Oh, honey, you weren't bad. It was _their_ fault, anyways. _They're_ the ones who made the mistake of hitting you."_

_"Yeah, but now, I'm scared of being hurt if I talk," she replies._

_I slip my fingers underneath her chin and tilt her head up to look at me. With a sympathetic smile, I speak, "You may've been scared, but don't you see how grown up you became over the years?"_

_After I say this, her chubby fingers begin playing with the strands of my long hair. This seems to calm her down as she giggles and grabs handfuls of my dark purple locks, and then places them on the sides of her head. "Haha, my hair is pretty when I grow up!"_

_I laugh and wrap my arms around the little girl's waist, keeping her close to my body while she toys with my hair and giggles delightedly. Hearing her laughter puts me at ease. I've never been able to really laugh like that in a while, but it's nicer and more enjoyable to hear the five-year old version of me giggling with such happiness._

_"Hey, Madelynn?" she questions suddenly. "Why'd you lie to that man?"_

_I sigh and close my eyes as I answer, "I... I don't know, Maddie."_

* * *

As soon as I open my eyes back up, however, I notice that I am back in the real world. Daylight is already breaking as I observe the sky turning purple, red, and blue, and the noises of the day Pokémon sound throughout the forest.

N soon appears and hovers over me with a smile, "I'm glad to see you awake, Madelynn. I was just coming over to wake you up."

I yawn and stretch out my arms toward the heavens, afterwards looking over to the right side of me to find Chester and Julian still sound asleep. They snore in unison as they dream peacefully, but one Pokémon's snores are enough for me, so I reach into my bag to obtain Chester's pokéball and point it at him. "You can keep resting inside your pokéball, Chester. Now, return." A red flash shoots out and envelops the Scout Pokémon's body, then retracts him back to his pokéball. I kiss the capture device lightly and place it back inside my bag, and then whisper, "Sweet dreams."

As soon as that's done, I set my hand on Julian's back and softly shake him awake. "Julian, it's time to get up."

"Ah, so their names are Julian and Chester, eh?" N inquires, nodding his head as if answering himself or approving of my name choice for my Pokémon. "Those are great names for such great Pokémon."

Julian soon opens his eyes, and once he sets his eyes on me, he cries out happily and jumps onto my shoulder, nuzzling into my neck lovingly.

"Hey, umm, Madelynn, can I ask you something?" N asks, scratching the back of his head with a wondering expression on his face.

My body freezes and my heart begins to throb against my chest. Don't tell me I was sleep-talking or anything like that. If I did, I'm screwed and he'll start asking me questions like, "What'd you mean by saying that you lied to me?" I brace for his question and tense up my body as I wait for him to say something.

N clears his throat, "May I have a Pokémon battle with you and Julian?"

Almost instantly, my body loosens up and I exhale noisily. He has no idea how relieved I am that he didn't tell me that I was talking in my sleep or anything like that. After, I reach into my bag and obtain the pen and notepad, and then write down, '**Sure, but why do you want to have one right now?**'

"I want to hear your Pokémon's voice like I did back at that rally," N replies. He glances over at Julian and reaches his hand up to scratch around the Sea Otter Pokémon's cheeks who sighs happily and leans into N's hand, appreciating the gesture of friendliness. "Having a battle will allow me to understand the bond you share with Julian." Before I have time to write something down, he suddenly asks, "Wait a minute. How... how is this going to work out?"

'**What do you mean, N?**'

A blush spreads across his face, "Well, you have Selective Mutism, right? Won't it be hard for you to... you know, talk to him and call out a move... or something?"

It's completely understandable that he doesn't know the answer to that. No one but me knows why I can talk openly to Pokémon, yet have the hardest time opening my mouth in front of people. I simply give a laugh and reply, '**It might be hard for you to understand, but I have no problems talking with Pokémon. They don't freak me out, and I don't feel so nervous when I talk to them or call out one of their moves.**'

He chuckles and heaves a sigh of relief, "That's good to know. I thought I'd asked you to battle for nothing." After, he retrieves a pokéball. "Purrloin, my friend, I choose you." A flash of white erupts from the mouth of the capture device; from that light manifests a purple, cat-like Pokémon. I fumble through my bag to attain my Pokédex, and then aim it at the Pokémon before me. _**Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon. Purrloin fools people into letting their guard down so it can steal their possessions. When angered, it uses its claws to fight back.**_

"Oshawott, osh, oshawott, wott!" Julian yells at N's Purrloin once I lift my head up and put my Pokédex back into its pocket.

The Devious Pokémon stands on its hind legs and gets in Julian's face as it threatens with a glare, "Purr, purrloin, purr, purr, purrloin!"

Both Pokémon literally go head-to-head as they push and shove each other with their foreheads, growling menacingly until they both eventually back off and turn away from the other. The confrontation has ended, but the winner is still to be decided, so N and I walk to opposite ends of the clearing.

N explains once we arrive at our spots, "The rules of this Pokémon battle are very simple, Madelynn. It will be a one-on-one match, and the match will end when one Pokémon from either side is unable to continue battling."

I give him a thumbs up to signal to him that I agree with the regulations, and then look down at Julian who is already in his fighting stance. "Are you ready to give it your all, Julian?"

"Oshawott!" he replies with a confident nod.

"And because Purrloin and I are gentlemen," N pauses to take off his cap and place it on his chest, and then both him and Purrloin bow courteously to me and Julian, "we will allow the lady to make the first move of the match."

_I have to admit: it's kind of cute when N does that "gentlemen" stuff,_ I think with a secret smile, but then shake my head away from the unusual thought. _Focus on the battle, Madelynn Smith!_ I point my finger at Purrloin and call out, "Julian, use Tackle!"

The Sea Otter Pokémon sprints towards Purrloin, but at the last second, the Devious Pokémon pushes off the ground with both its back feet and shoots into the sky like a bullet to avoid the attack, doing a single backwards somersault in the air before plummeting down to the ground like a meteor and landing on all fours. It stands up on its back legs afterward, putting a hand on its hip and watching Julian with a cunning smirk plastered on its face whilst laughing in a sinister way; all Julian can do is look at the Devious Pokémon in surprise.

_Now that is an extremely, well-trained Pokémon,_ I mull over as I glare at N. _Maybe this guy isn't as bad as I thought he was going to be. Crap, we might be in trouble!_

"Well, I guess it's our turn, my friend," N declares, flipping his bangs out of his eyes before commanding, "Show your ferocity with an intimidating growl!"

Purrloin's eyes flash a fervent red as it releases a harsh, shrill, distorted scream that makes Julian wail in agony and cover his ears as best he can.

"Now, use a brilliant Scratch attack!" N orders.

_This can mean trouble,_ I think, and then warn the Sea Otter Pokémon, "Run away from Purrloin, Julian!"

Earlier than Julian can take one step, Purrloin appears in front of him with a cocky grin on its face, making him scream in fright as Purrloin's confident look turns chilling. Purrloin's arm rapidly shoots out from its place at its side and takes hold of Julian by the neck; this is followed by Purrloin hoisting Julian up off the ground, while its free paw produces three long, white claws that look awfully sharp. Though Julian struggles to break away, Purrloin unleashes its attack and slashes at the Sea Otter Pokémon's face. The force of the attack sends Julian flying back, only to collide with the ground hard enough to kick up a cloud of brown powder.

"_**JULIAN****!**_" I shrieked with an evident strain in my voice.

He quickly recovers from the attack and gets to his feet; I notice that the last attack leaves behind three evident claw marks straight across his face.

"Let's end this, Purrloin!" N shouts. "Use Scratch again!"

_No! Not again!_ I think, afterwards exclaiming, "Julian, use Water Gun!"

The Devious Pokémon shoves off with its back feet as it rockets for Julian, its claws on both paws prepared, hovering inches from the ground below-almost like it's actually flying! As soon as Purrloin gets close enough, Julian lets loose a violent torrent of water from his mouth...

And Purrloin disappears from sight, only to rematerialize behind the Sea Otter Pokémon and come back with a vengeance, slashing its claws against Julian's back. My beloved Pokémon drops to the ground soon after, but instead of collapsing straight down, he holds out his arms and prevents himself from falling anymore as he struggles to keep himself up. Purrloin glares at Julian with a look of revulsion, and then suddenly brings its right hind leg up into the air and crushes it into Julian's back, forcing the Sea Otter Pokémon to eat the dirt beneath him.

"Now do you realize what I'm trying to make you understand?" N asks me at random.

_What? Is he seriously going to talk to me during a battle?!_ I ponder, hoping N will explain himself.

As if reading my mind, he answers, "Pokémon are used each and every day, forced to do all of the battling while their trainer can only stand back and watch from the sidelines. Time and time again, these beings will fight until the very end to please their masters. These brawls can get so violent and so brutal, in fact, that some Pokémon often become intimate with their breaking point. The way these innocent creatures are being used and hurt in battle-this is what I'm talking about, Madelynn! This is what I want to end!"

_This guy... what's with him?_

He sighs sadly as he glances down at Purrloin and Julian-both haven't moved a muscle from the time N began talking-and continues, "I hate to see all of my friends in their states of suffering: so badly wounded and cleaned of their energy, yet still having the desire to fight back though they can barely even stand up on their own feet. It disgusts me for myself to put my friends at these kinds of risks."

I look down at the Pokémon before me. Purrloin still has its leg pressed against Julian's back, yet the Sea Otter Pokémon is trying to push himself off the ground with no luck as the Devious Pokémon keeps shoving him down to the ground every time with an evil cackle-almost as if Purrloin is teasing Julian.

"Face it, Madelynn," N emphasizes with a spiteful tone to his voice as he glares at me with intent, "what I speak is the truth, and there is nothing that will change what I speak for! So why don't you just admit that I'm right?! That Pokémon should be released from their captivity and never again be caught! Then, and only then, will Pokémon and humans become truly equal!" He releases a malicious cackle that makes me look at him with apprehension.

_Okay, it's official. This guy is insane..._

"C'mon, Madelynn!" N pleads. "Show me your voice! Let me hear you! I want to hear you admit that what I stand for is right!"

_I will never admit to that!_ I command, "Julian, use Water Gun on the ground, and then use Tackle!"

Immediately, the Sea Otter Pokémon emits a jet of water that shoots him into the air, making Purrloin tumble backwards on the earth and look up in amazement as it watches Julian soar into the sky. After, Julian dive-bombs from the heavens head-first like a missile and smashes into Purrloin, creating a large dust cloud that erupts from the battlefield.

"Purrloin, if you are able, use your Scratch attack again!" N calls out.

Three white lights flash from within the cloud and are followed by a pain-filled scream as Julian is knocked onto his back outside of the brown puff. The cloud dissipates to view the Devious Pokémon standing on its hind legs and withdrawing its claws. It waves its tail back and forth angrily as it dusts itself off from the dirt that had accumulated on its coat.

My attention turns to Julian who is lying on the ground, immobile. I beg him, "Get up, Julian! Please! I know you can do it!"

"Hmph, I guess you're not as caring and sympathetic towards your Pokémon as you think you are," N states unhappily. "It's sad really."

"_What'd you say?!_" I furiously growl in silence upon hearing him say that.

N tips his visor downward a bit as he continues, "Julian can barely stand up, Madelynn. If I were you, I'd call off the match and take him back to the Pokémon Center in Accumula Town to have him healed. He's taken way too much damage to continue."

Ignoring his comments, I plead once more, "Please, Julian, get up! We might be able to win this if you hang in a little longer!"

He scoffs under his breath, "Now you're just being selfish." He looks up at me with an intense glare. "You're a poor excuse for someone who really cares about their Pokémon."

My eyes fume with rage as my anger skyrockets. He went too far with that last remark, and he's going to regret he ever said that to me!

"Ah, I see you're getting mad," N says with a sly smile. "Maybe now you'll let me hear you! Come on, Madelynn! Scream at me! Show the world you have a voice, and let it out!"

_Oh, that's it, he's gonna get it-No, hold on... just calm down Maddie. This is what he wants me to do. Don't give into his taunts... Just stay calm..._

N chuckles, "Or are you too much of a pathetic mute to say anything?"

"_**THAT'S IT****!**_" I scream as I reach my limit with his taunting; rage and frustration overshadow my voice as I roar, "_**JULIAN, USE WATER GUN, NOW****!**_"

The Sea Otter Pokémon hops up to his feet, inhales a deep breath of air, and lets it all out in a vicious cascade of water that jets from his mouth. The powerful flood of crystal-blue liquid makes a mad dash for Purrloin. Before Purrloin can jump out of the way, it is struck hard by the water and forced to take off backwards, only to hit a tree behind it with enough force to make a dent. Once Julian turns off the water, Purrloin slides down the tree and rests at the base where it is clearly seen knocked out.

"Oh, no! Purrloin!" N calls out as he runs to the comatose Pokémon and holds it close in his arms. "My friend, are you allright?" Purrloin mews with a smile as a response.

I turn my attention away from the two and crouch down as Julian runs to me with an ear-to-ear grin, hops into my arms, and cries out happily. While I embrace the Sea Otter Pokémon, I say to him, "You were absolutely wonderful, Julian! I'm very proud of all your hard work!" I back off a bit to observe him scratch his head with a blush on his face.

"Well, you certainly proved me wrong, Madelynn," N's voice comes from over top of me. "You do have a voice, and you know how to use it without a doubt."

"Purrloin, purr!" the Devious Pokémon agrees.

I hide my disgust behind my bangs as I get to my feet and avoid looking at him at any cost while holding Julian closer to my chest. I'm still not too thrilled about what he said to me while we were battling...

He seems to notice this when he chuckles, "You must forgive my rude outbursts back there. They were... quite unappealing."

Once Julian moves onto my shoulder, I reach into my bag and obtain the pen and notepad, '**Why should I? You sure seemed to mean them.**'

"Haha, well, why don't we just leave the past in the past?" N inquires.

Reluctantly, I write, '**Fine. I'll forgive you this time, but the next time won't be so easy.**'

"I understand," N states. "And just to prove that I honored our battle-" he pauses for Purrloin to climb onto his shoulder, and he then removes his cap, "-I'll give you my hat as proof that you won."

'**You don't have to do that!**' I quickly write before he has time to hand me his hat.

"No, no," he confirms. "You beat me fair and square, so I insist that you wear it."

My face heats up as he substitutes my hat with his, though he can barely fit it over my voluminous, wavy hair. Finally, he gets the hat as far down as it can go and heaves a sigh as if it was hard work, but I can't blame him. Trying to fit one of those regular hats on my head is a challenge for anyone to do...

N hands my hat back to me and blushes as he states with uneasiness, "Huh, you don't look too bad."

With an embarrassed smile, I clutch my cap and put it in my bag, and then offer his pen and notepad back to him; however, he shakes his head and says, "You need that more than I do right now. Keep it. It might be useful in your travels." N turns his back to me and begins walking in the opposite direction of Julian and I, raising his hand high and waving. "Until we meet again, Madelynn Smith." After, he disappears in the dark shadows of the trees.

As soon as he's gone from my sights, I take out the map from my bag and look at it. "Okay, so the next town we're going to come across is Striaton City... and there's a gym there!" I turn to face the Sea Otter Pokémon. "Ready for your first gym battle, Julian?"

He nods as we walk out of the clearing, arriving at a dirt path that leads to Striaton City. While we walk down the path, however, I cannot help but think about N along the way. Sure, he's a bit of a mysterious guy, and maybe even a gentleman like he says he is, but to go so far as to try and make people accept what he believes is wrong. He kind of reminds me about Ghetsis and what he'd said back in Accumula Town... but I have a feeling that there's something else behind those stone-cold, blue eyes. Almost like a desperate longing for a friend...

But, then again, it may just be my imagination acting up again.

* * *

**A/N: My fingers are soooooo sore. They're going to fall off one of these days if I keep up typing these chapters one right after the other. Anyways, reviews are appreciated.**


	5. The Striaton Gym

**A/N: My fingers are still aching, but I want to get all this improving done before school starts, and the first day of school is getting closer and closer. Ugh... x(**

**Disclaimer: No, meh no own the Pokémon stuff, otays? xD**

* * *

The town of Striaton City is just how I imagined it would be: people bustling and moving around hurriedly from every corner of the city, and voices around me conversing with other voices, as well as children running around and playing with their Pokémon while squeezing atween massive crowds of people.

"Haha, you can't catch me!" a little girl's voice comes from behind me, followed by the laughter of other children, but just when I'm about to turn around, she accidentally runs into my legs. "Ooof!" she says as I hear her drop to the ground.

Once I turn to her, she is already being helped up by her friend. From my observations, the two look younger than ten years old.

"Are you allright?" the boy asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" she replies with an assuring smile, and then looks up at me with apologetic eyes. "Sorry for bumping into you, Miss."

Julian jumps down from my shoulder and lands in front of the children, offering a stubby, welcoming hand as he greets, "Osha, oshawott!"

"Wow, is that an Oshawott?!" the youngsters both question in unison; amazement fills up their eyes as they take in the sight of the Sea Otter Pokémon before them. "That's so cool!"

Seeing the children mesmerized by Julian, I can't help but smile privately. The girl is first to take hold of Julian's hand with a curtsy while the boy simply shook the Sea Otter Pokémon's hand, smiling excitedly. Afterward, they both bow to Julian and I, and then recommence their running. I watch them until they disappear behind a building, and then I press on to find a nearby Pokémon Center.

* * *

The music sounds throughout the center, making my eyes look up to find Nurse Joy with Audino at her sides and Julian on her shoulder. "Your Pokémon are feeling much better!"

She hands me Chester's pokéball while Julian hops over onto my shoulder. I welcome him back with a scratch underneath his chin, and then take out my pen and notepad, '**Thank you again for your help, Nurse Joy.**'

"Again?" Nurse Joy questions, looking at her Audino with a perplexed expression; they return her look. "I don't think I've ever seen you around here, before."

This kind of confuses me, too. I mean, she looks exactly like the Nurse Joy I saw back in Accumula Town. She has the same pink hairstyle, blue eyes, and outfit. Why doesn't she remember me? '**Are you sure? I saw you back in Accumula Town. Remember? You healed my Patrat for me.**"

She giggles a bit and replies, "Oh, you must be talking about my sister!" After, she walks over to her desk and picks something up off of it, and then brings it back over to me. As she shows me, I discover that it is a picture... with a whole bunch of Nurse Joy look-alikes. She explains as she points to one of the Nurse Joy's in the picture, "You see, this is me." Her finger then slides away and rests on another Nurse Joy. "This is the one you saw back in Accumula Town."

_Okay, now I'm really confused..._

Nurse Joy continues, "There's a way you can tell us all apart, believe it or not. If you look at our caps, you can see that each one has a different color for the area we work at. Don't worry, a lot of new trainers make that mistake since we all look exactly alike, but it's perfectly fine."

'**Oh, I'm sorry!**'

She dismisses my apology with a wave of her hand, "Like I said, it's quite allright. There's no need for apologies! You're still a new trainer, and you're still learning, so don't worry about it."

I flash her a reassured smile and rise to my feet to walk toward the doors.

"Now, the Striaton City Gym isn't too far from here," Nurse Joy says as I approach the exit. "And if you get lost, just ask the people around you for help."

With a nod, I depart the Pokémon Center and follow the road ahead of me, hoping that it will lead me to the gym if I just stick to my gut feeling that the end of this road holds the Striaton Gym at the end.

* * *

My face is plastered to the map as I continue down the pavement. I've been walking around like a moron for the past half hour, and I still haven't seen any sign of the gym around here, and as an added bonus, Julian's been whining and complaining out of boredom for ten minutes straight. People've been asking me if they can help or if they can give me directions, but I politely decline their offers of assistance and just keep walking.

"Ugh, how can anybody read these things?!" I ask myself, removing my face from the confusing lines of the map and rubbing my eyes to get them accustomed to seeing something else but the map.

At this point in time, Julian starts sniffing around, and, without warning, he hops off of my shoulder and rushes into the doors of a restaurant beside where I stand. I stare at the doors, absolutely dumbfounded that he would do something like that and not tell me beforehand. _I'm gonna guess he's hungry_, I think and heave a sigh as I stuff the map back into my bag and approach the doors to enter the restaurant.

"_Julian?_" I call to him in a whisper and shut the doors behind me, yet he doesn't respond. "_Julian, where are you?_"

I suddenly hear a male voice, "Whoa there, little fella! You can't just come barging in here like that."

_Oh great, he's already in trouble,_ I mull over and run around the corner to see three young boys standing around the Sea Otter Pokémon in a circular formation.

The blue-haired boy crouches down to Julian's level and says, "Come to think about it, a chance to capture a wild Oshawott doesn't come around very often." He then holds out a welcoming hand, smiling graciously. "What do you think? Would you like to become my partner, Oshawott?"

I notice Julian snarling and looking at the hand before him in annoyance. Sensing that he's about to strike, I run towards the boy and shove him out of the way to avoid being bitten, but my wrist is abruptly grabbed and I am forced to collapse onto the male; shocked gasps fill my ears once I land on top of him. My eyes flutter open to see him staring at me in shock; however, this doesn't last very long as his expression soon turns to what I identify to be fascination. His lips curl into an infatuated smile while his cheeks become tinged with the familiar pink shade.

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay, Cress?" one of the boys asks.

He replies in a daze, "Oh yes... I'm perfectly fine."

Though I'd like to move, I stay there immobile and frozen to my spot, but then I feel hands gripping my arms to try and pull me off of the male beneath me. This startles me enough to make me jerk my arms out of their grasp and jump up to my feet where I begin dusting myself off immediately.

Julian begins pushing his way through the boys and arrives at my feet where I then pick him up in my arms and hold him close to my chest while Cress's friends help him up.

"Dear me, this seems to happen to me a lot, nowadays," Cress states, still with a smile on his face. "Girls just can't seem to keep their hands off me. They just can't help swooning over my good looks I guess."

_Tch, whatever,_ I think, but just as I'm about to take my leave, the red-haired boy comes into my sights, making me recoil and back away, only to bump into someone else. I spin around to find Cress standing behind me and wink. Nervously, yet with a smile, I again attempt to retreat, but this time, my hand is taken into the green-haired boy's, making me release Julian from my hold as I am twirled around like some kind of ballerina-which I'm not-and afterwards dipped down-which almost breaks my back.

_What the hell is going on around here?!_ I mull over, trying to push myself away from him with my free hand without freaking out.

"Welcome to the restaurant, Miss," the boy greets, bringing me back up to set me on my feet and releasing my hand. "My name's Cilan, and I'm honored to be your server for today."

I feel Julian hop up onto my shoulder where he then starts growling at the males surrounding us.

The boy with the red hair is next to speak, "The name's Chili, but you can call me whatever you want. We don't often get too many attractive girls in this place, so enjoy the view." He ends his sentence with a wink.

Before I have the time to reach into my bag, Cress seizes my hand and falls to the ground on one knee, "My dearest lady, it is fate that has-"

Julian retaliates to the little gesture of affection by performing a Water Gun attack which strikes him directly in the face; the two others stare with their mouths agape as if half expecting something like that to happen. As Cress plunges to the floor with his entire head now soaking wet, I finally obtain my notepad and pen, '**Do you three have a problem or something?! I come in here to find my Pokémon, who just so happened to stumble in here because he was hungry, and you three toy with my like I'm some kind of shiny, new play thing!?**'

"Hmm?" Cilan questions, walking up closer to get a closer look at what I'd written. "Hey, you guys, check it out! She must be so shy she has to write down everything she wants to say to us!"

"Aaawwwhh, that's just too adorable!" both Cress and Chili exclaim in unison.

My eye twitches as I become irritated. I write, '**Look, all I want to do is find the Striaton Gym... not dance with a couple of strangers I hardly know. Is that so much to ask?! I don't think so.**'

The three boys chuckle deviously to themselves and adjust the bows around their necks simultaneously, and then reply together, "No need to look any further!"

"_Huh?_" I question under my breath.

Cilan and Chili walk away to two large doors in the very back of the restaurant whilst Cress locks his arm in mine and makes me follow the boys; Julian growls the entire time Cress walks beside me.

Once we arrive at the doors, Cress takes my hand into his and kisses the top of it, and then walks over to join Cilan and Chili.

_Ummm... what's going on?_ I muse as I look at the three of them with confusion.

Cilan starts, "Little did you know that this restaurant _**is**_ the Striaton Gym."

Chili follows, "And though we may not look like it, the three of us are the Striaton Gym Leaders!"

Cress speaks last, "You will be battling one of us for the badge we hold, and even though I would've fancied having a battle with you, it appears your starter Pokémon is Oshawott. You'll be battling a Pokémon with an advantage over Water-types..."

Cilan steps forward and bows, "... so that means you'll be battling with me."

Julian leaps down off my shoulder and onto the floor. "Oshawott, wott, oshaa-" he pulls off his scalchop and aims it at Cilan who recoils in shock, "-_**WOTT****!**_"

"Such a fiery Pokémon," Cilan chuckles rather nervously, and then snaps his fingers.

Suddenly, the doors begin to move, shaking the ground beneath my feet as they open up to reveal a battleground with a rocky terrain. As the boys step inside, Julian and I follow behind them only to then walk to the opposite sides of the field.

Once we arrive at our spots, Cress stands at the middle line outside of the battlefield and speaks, "This will be a two-on-two match between Cilan and... uhhh..."

I bring my hand up to my head in a face palm. Unbelievable! I forgot to introduce myself... I write down, '**Madelynn Smith is my name.**' on a piece of paper, then tear it from the notepad and crumple it up into a ball. Afterwards, I throw it at Cress who catches it in mid-air and reads it.

"Okay, the battle between Cilan, the Gym Leader, and Madelynn Smith will now begin!" Cress states.

"Lillipup, come on out!" Cilan calls out, throwing a pokéball onto the field. A white flash erupts from the mouth of the ball and reveals a small, tan, puppy-like Pokémon. I reach into my bag and retrieve my Pokédex. _**Lillipup, the Puppy Pokémon. The long hair covering Lillipup's face is an excellent radar, which senses conditions in the surrounding area.**_

I crouch down and ask Julian, "You up for being the first to battle?"

"Oshawott!" he confirms, running onto the battlefield. He removes his scalchop and points it at Lillipup as he threatens, "Osh, oshawott, wott, osha!"

"Again, your Pokémon is very hot blooded compared to how mellow and laid-back you are, Madelynn," he utters. "It's like a recipe that calls for both spicy and mild sauces. The flavor, however, is still yet to be revealed, so give it your all and don't hesitate."

_Oh trust me, I won't hold back,_ I think with a confident smile.

"This battle will end when both Pokémon from either side is unable to continue," Cress explains. "Now, **BEGIN!**"

I start it off by commanding, "Julian, use your Water Gun!"

The Sea Otter Pokémon inhales a deep breath, exhaling with a violent flow of water that shoots for Lillipup. The torrent hits its mark, forcing Lillipup to be sent flying backward and crash into a rock heap.

"What's this?" Cilan asks. "How come you can call out your Pokémon's moves, yet you are too shy to talk to the three of us?"

_You don't need to know,_ I think and call out, "Now use Tackle!"

Punctually, Julian zips across the field and hammers into the Puppy Pokémon, yet again smashing it into the rock, but this time, the hit obliterates the stone and sends pieces of rocks flying every which way.

Cilan states in fascination, "Y-Your voice... it's like the richest chocolate. The perfect blend of everything smooth and sweet... I bet you could put a herd of rampaging Bouffalant to sleep within seconds!"

_Okay, are you going to battle, or just keep obsessing over me?_ I think, shaking my head with disappointment and ordering, "Julian, use another Water Gun!"

His eyes flash deviously as he declares, "But I won't let you get away with those attacks for long! Lillipup, dodge that attack quickly!"

_Now this is gonna get interesting,_ I think with a confident smile.

The Puppy Pokémon jumps to its feet and propels itself off of the ground before Julian's Water Gun has time to reach its target.

"Jump up, too, Julian, and use Water Gun!"

Julian raises his tail firsthand, and then pounds it against the ground, forcing him to fly into the air at the same height as Lillipup. Afterward, the Sea Otter Pokémon takes a deep breath and releases a powerful Water Gun attack that collides with the Puppy Pokémon, driving it backwards to hit the wall behind it and create a large cavity in the wall. As Julian drops to the ground unscathed, I notice Lillipup stuck in its place... and down for the count much to Cilan's astonishment.

"Lillipup is unable to battle, which means Julian the Oshawott wins this match!" Cress calls.

Cilan sighs regretfully as he says kindly, taking out a pokéball, "Though I was so caught up with observing Madelynn and her Oshawott, I was foolish as to not aid you in battle. Please forgive me, my Pokémon, and take a good long rest." The red light flashes from the pokéball as Lillipup is returned to it. Cilan then extracts another ball and throws it onto the battlefield, "Pansage, now it's your turn!" From the flash of white comes a yellow and green Pokémon. Again, I retrieve my Pokédex. _**Pansage, the Grass Monkey Pokémon. Pansage offers the leaves on its head to Pokémon that have low energy. These leaves relieve stress.**_

_Allright, since Pansage is a grass-type, it'll have a huge advantage over Julian who's a water-type,_ I mull over._ I'd like to call Julian back and let him rest, but Chester is the only other Pokémon I have, and I haven't even begun to train him, so I know none of his moves whatsoever. Let's just see what this Pokémon can do._

"Pansage, let's start off this round with your Lick attack!" Cilan commands.

Right away, Pansage darts up to Julian with its tongue sticking out. As soon as it is close enough, Pansage gives the Sea Otter Pokémon a great big lick on his face, trailing saliva from the bottom of his chin up to the top of his head.

"_**WOTT****?!**_" Julian cries disgustedly and staggers back, trying ever so desperately to wipe off his face.

Cilan then instructs, "Use Vine Whip!"

The Grass Monkey Pokémon's tree-like tuft on the top of its head produces two creeper plants that rush for Julian.

_Gotcha!_ "Julian, use Water Gun on the ground, and then use Tail Whip!"

"Forbid those moves, Pansage!" Cilan demands.

Though Julian is quick and able enough to use his Water Gun attack on the floor beneath him to propel himself off of the ground, Pansage's vines wrap around Julian's tail just as he's about to use his Tail Whip attack. The Sea Otter Pokémon is then hurtled to the ground promptly after and forced to collide with one of the rock heaps, annihilating it upon contact and creating a large cloud of dust that surrounds Julian.

_Oh no, this isn't good..._ I think as we all wait with baited breath for the dust to move out of the way.

Sure enough, once it dissipates from the battlefield, Julian is seen lying over the crushed pieces of the rock... defeated.

I gasp, "Julian, a-are you allright?"

The Sea Otter Pokémon strains to get to its feet and stumbles unsteadily as he walks over to me, collapsing to the ground at my feet. He lets out an elated sigh, and I can't blame him for doing that. If I was him, and I battled like that, I'd want to do the same thing.

"Well, well, well, Madelynn," Cilan chides, placing a hand on his hip. "You and your Oshawott certainly put up one heck of a fight. I'm rather impressed. Now, who's your next Pokémon?"

_Crap!_ I think and fish Chester's pokéball from my bag to look at it with concern. _You're my last chance, Chester. Make me proud!_ For good luck, I kiss the ball and then hurl it at the battlefield. Afterwards, a bright light explodes from the ball as Chester comes into view.

"So, you have a Patrat, eh?" Cilan interrogates. "I can't wait to see how the final round turns out, but for now, let's just focus on the battling and worry about the winner later."

_Hey, you're the one who hardly did a thing during the first match,_ I think and blow a piece of my loose hair out of my face,_ so don't you dare be telling me to focus._

"We'll go first!" Cilan declares. "Pansage, use Fury Swipes!"

The tips of Pansage's hands glow white as it runs for the Scout Pokémon.

Just when it's about to strike, I call out, "Dodge, Chester!"

Following my orders, Chester jumps out of the way to avoid the attack, but Pansage doesn't give up and attempts to scratch Chester once more. Almost looking like they're dancing, the Scout Pokémon ducks and dodges to keep from being hit as Pansage perseveres to scratch him. This goes on for a while before the Grass Monkey Pokémon begins to slow down; its arms now moving more slowly than usual. At this instant, Chester is able to back away as Pansage suddenly falls to its knees and gasps for breath as it pants.

I instruct, "Now use... uhhh... Tackle?"

Immediately, the Scout Pokémon drops on all fours with its head low to the ground as it hurries over to Pansage and crashes into it head-on, striking the Grass Monkey Pokémon in the stomach and launching it backwards to fall on the ground and land on its back a few feet away.

"Pansage, can you continue?!" Cilan asks fearfully as he watches his Pokémon struggling to get to its feet. "If you can, use Vine Whip!"

Being so tired, the Grass Monkey Pokémon's vines come out a bit more slowly as they come at Chester. Without me having to say a word, the Scout Pokémon grabs onto the vines with both his hands and yanks on them, lugging Pansage up into the air. Afterward, Chester jerks the vines down, forcing Pansage to plummet to the ground and smash into the earth with such force that it creates a huge crater in the battlefield. The battle is over as Cilan and I observe Pansage comatose where it'd landed.

"Pansage is unable to battle, so that means Chester the Patrat wins, and the victor is Madelynn Smith!" Cress announces.

"We did it, you two!" I squeal as I jump up and down excitedly, and then crouch down and hold out my arms for the Scout Pokémon who runs into my embrace and hugs me back tightly. "I'm so proud of you, Chester." After, I look over to Julian-who's still resting at my feet-and stroke him on the back. "You too, Julian." Chester and I giggle as we take a moment to enjoy our victory.

* * *

"Well, what can I say, Madelynn?" Cilan questions. "Your Pokémon are just as amazing as you are. The way your Patrat battled in that last match is very impressive, and your Oshawott certainly lived up to my expectations."

I glance at my Pokémon perched on my shoulders and smile at them when I see their faces blushing at the comments they received.

"To prove you battled hard and won," Chili takes out a case and opens it to reveal a golden badge with three different colored stones embedded into it, "the Striaton Gym leaders present you with the Trio Badge."

I obtain the badge and gaze at it as it shines in the light of the sun. Julian and Chester gasp in awe as they stare at it with wide eyes as I place it in my badge case and put it in my bag. I bow as thanks, but as I'm about to walk off, Cress drops to one knee with his hands placed over his heart and declares, "My deer, sweet Madelynn, though your journey will separate us for what seems like forever, just know that you'll always have a special place in my heart for eternity! I'll-"

Before he has time to go any further-and to get me the heck out of there-, I start walking away to prevent myself from hearing anything else that came out of his mouth. I don't usually like guys who think they have to pour their hearts out just to get a girl. No, I'm more of the girl who likes the strong, silent type.

Something pushes at my hand, and as I look down, Julian is trying to place the map in my hand. I smile and take it from him, and then pat him on the head. As I open it up, I find a route that leads out of Striaton City to a place called Nacrene City. "Allright, you guys, are you ready for badge number two?" I ask them to which they respond with a confident nod.

My first hurdle, my first gym battle, my first badge; this marks my first step towards becoming a great Pokémon Trainer, but there are still many other obstacles I have to overcome before ever hoping to make it to the Unova League and challenge the Champion.

* * *

**A/N: Waaaaaaahh, I'm getting finger cramps. :( Anyways, review/ add to favorites/ follow/ blah, blah, blah; whatever you want to do, you just do it. xD**


	6. An Unexpected Stopover

**A/N: Ack! The evil school doth approacheth! NOOOOOO! No more school! Why can't it just blow up? KER-BOOOOOOMM! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. No way.**

* * *

As Julian and I walk down Route 2, we spot a herd of white-on-black Pokémon grazing across the fields beside us. I fish my Pokédex from my bag and scan the new Pokémon. _**Blitzle, the Electrified Pokémon. Blitzle catches electricity and stores it in its mane, which glows when the electricity is discharged.**_

I smile at the group of Blitzle and say to myself, "Hmm, I wonder if a Blitzle will be a good addition to the team..." I turn to the Sea Otter Pokémon draped over my shoulder. "What do you think, Julian? Would you like a new friend?"

Julian lifts his head up and nods, and then hops down from my shoulder, but as he's about to take a step, I put my foot in front of him to prevent him from walking.

"Believe me when I tell you that you're not in the shape to fight after your battle with Cilan," I explain, crouching down to pet him on the head caringly. "If you even took one hit from one of Blitzle's electric attacks, you'd probably black out just from having little energy. Understand?"

Reluctantly, Julian nods and crosses his arms in annoyance.

My attention goes back over to see one of the Blitzle looking at Julian and I. It then calls out to its group and they immediately begin to run away in the opposite direction of where we stand. Julian tries to call out to them, but I place my hand on top of his head, petting him as I say, "I'm sure we'll come by another Blitzle sooner or later."

With that, I pick him up in my arms and stand up as I press forward down Route 2.

* * *

Again, my eyes are glued to the map as I walk down the dirt road, "Okay, so, it'll only be a couple more hours before we reach-"

"Helloooooo there!"

A female voice brings my eyes up off of the map to spot a woman waving from atop a small staircase. As I observe further, I discover that the stairs lead to a school; I guess it's some kind of Daycare or Preschool seeing as how there are small children clinging to her pants legs.

Julian suddenly jumps off of my shoulder and runs up to meet everyone. Still getting used to Julian's crazy antics, I shake my head frowningly and put the already wrinkled map back into my bag, and then follow the Sea Otter Pokémon up the stairs where I'm greeted by the smiles of the children; however, once I reach the top step, I tilt the visor of N's hat downward to hide my eyes from their view.

"I couldn't help but notice you and your Pokémon looking a bit lost," the woman says. "I can give you directions if you want."

Silence. It's all I give as an answer. _Please, just don't keep me here for long..._

A slight touch to my hand triggers my fight-or flight response, and I immediately jerk my hand away. I take a momentary look downward to see a small, blonde child presenting a sweet smile towards me; I also notice Julian being held in her right arm.

"Haha, I see you've met Alice," the woman laughs.

Alice speaks, "I really like your Pokémon! It's soooo cute!" She begins to hug him a bit tightly much to Julian's discontent as he begins to struggle to get out of her grip.

The woman comes over to Alice and crouches down to her level, "Maybe you should put it down. I don't think he likes that."

"Awwhh, man!" Alice groans, releasing Julian who theatrically gasps for breath and collapses to the ground with his mouth wide open and his tongue sticking out... almost like he's trying to play dead.

The woman explains, "We were just about to start recess before Alice noticed you and your Oshawott. Speaking of which, isn't it about time you all start playing?" The children cry out in joy and run around, taking part in various games like Pokémon Tag, Hide-and-Seek and other activities such as hop-scotch, patty-cake, and trying to climb trees. Some of the children come over to Julian and ask him if he wants to play, and though he didn't really like what happened earlier, he gladly complies and runs off with them.

The woman clears her throat before saying, "By the way, my name is Miss Patricia, but you can call me Patty."

I retrieve my notebook and pen to write, '**Thank you for your kindness, but I really should be going. You see, I have a gym battle waiting for me in the next town, and I would like to get there before dark.**'

When she finishes reading, she replies, "Ah, so you're a Pokémon Trainer, huh? I thought I smelled the familiar scent of adventure on you." Before I can write something else down, she continues, "You have a long road ahead of you. One with many twists, turns, and bumps that will try to throw you off."

_Yes, I know-_

"However, you can take some of the trails that lead off the main road," she informs me, cutting off my thoughts. "Sure, you must train your Pokémon and battle with fearsome foes, but it doesn't have to be the same boring routine every time. You should sometimes take a break and enjoy just being with your Pokémon rather than always having to be at a specific place at a specific time. The towns, roads, and cities will still be in the same spots tomorrow, the day after, and so on, so why rush? Have as much fun as you can on your quest. You can start by playing with some of the children around here."

You know what... she's right! I've been so caught up with wanting to get my badges as fast as I can without ever thinking of fun. I bow to her as thanks for her advice, but just as I'm turning, I notice a young boy sitting on a wooden swing alone underneath the shade of the large tree. The other children don't even seem to be aware of his presence and run right past him like he's invisible.

"If you're wondering who that boy is," Patty says, "his name is Elliot."

I turn to her and write, '**Why's he sitting all by himself? Does he ever play with the other children here?**'

She shakes her head and sighs with a sympathetic smile, "Sadly, Elliot's been very distant ever since he was enrolled here three weeks ago. He's very shy and likes to be alone at times according to his parents. He never says much, and everything he does say usually comes out as a mumble or a whisper. The thing about him that surprises me is that he's scared of Pokémon, and no one knows why."

'**Not even his parents?**'

"No," Patty replies. "Elliot's mother and father have no idea why he's so frightened by them, and though we try our hardest to get him to tell us why he's afraid, he doesn't answer us or runs away. It's a real head-scratcher, that's for sure."

_Poor little guy,_ I think as Patty and I walk towards him.

Once we arrive, Elliot doesn't even attempt to look at us; instead, he keeps his face glued to the ground while a soft gust of wind blows by; his dirty-blonde bangs move out of his eyes to reveal handsome, dark-brown irises, but they are then veiled again behind his locks as the breeze terminates.

Patty crouches down and says to him, "Elliot, there's someone I'd like you to meet." She turns to me with an embarrassed smile, "It appears that I didn't quite catch your name."

'**My name is Madelynn Smith.**' I simply write, but just as I'm about to hand it to Patty, Elliot's arm shoots out and he takes my notepad into his grip, pulling it away from my fingers and looking at the page, fixedly reading what I'd written.

Patty laughs, "Haha, that's just like Elliot! Always wanting to read things!" She clears her throat before looking up at me and explains, "Unlike the rest of the children here, Elliot has a knack for reading and writing, and he just loves to read. Anything that is written on a piece of paper he just has to look at." Patty then brings her attention back to Elliot. "She's a Pokémon Trainer, sweetie. Isn't that exciting?"

"_Madelynn... Smith,_" he reads almost too quietly to be heard. "_She... trains P-Pokémon?_"

_I can't believe it,_ I think as I watch him concentrate on the five words written on the page. _This boy is exactly like me. Not only does he hate talking and keep his distance from others, but he's also very secretive._ For some odd reason, I feel a strange connection with the young boy, and without hesitation, I drop to my knees and gaze at Elliot with fascination. Suddenly, he looks up and locks his deep brown eyes with my light blue ones. To my surprise, I don't make an effort to turn my head aside. _Am I really doing this? Am I really making eye-contact with this boy and not looking away? What's going on here?_

He blinks twice before offering the two objects back to me. I take them from him with an appreciative smile, and in return, his cheeks become tinted with a deep shade of pink.

"Hmm, that's very odd," Patty affirms. "Normally, he doesn't do something like that with someone he's never met."

'**I think it's because I understand him better than anyone else here.**' I write down. '**Elliot is like me in a way. You see, I have a condition associated with Mutism, and though I doubt that Elliot has this kind of problem, I'm going to guess that he's simply an introvert. I'm an introvert myself, and we introverts prefer being alone rather than hanging around or talking to others. His solitary, "I-Like-To-Be-Alone" nature is what makes him who he is, just like how my condition makes me who I am today.**'

As soon as Patty is finished, I hand the notepad over to Elliot who begins reading.

Patty nods her head and says, "I understand. This isn't something that should concern me or his parents. It's just his individuality, and there's nothing wrong with being who you are."

Elliot passes me the notepad with a smile. I then note, '**And the reason as to why he's scared of Pokémon is likely due to the fact that he hasn't been introduced to them yet.**'

It's like a light bulb goes off in my head as I get an idea. I fish through my bag to retrieve Chester's pokéball, but as soon as I call out the Scout Pokémon, and the white light erupts from the mouth of the pokéball, Elliot hurries off of the swing and makes a mad dash behind the tree.

"Pat, patrat, rat!" Chester greets me.

I lean down and whisper into his ear, "_Chester, do you see that boy hiding behind the tree?_"

The Scout Pokémon turns around and notices Elliot's trembling body who then goes back into hiding. "Patrat!" he confirms, looking back at me.

"_Well, I would like for you to meet him,_" I say. "_But do it nicely so you don't scare him. He's afraid of Pokémon, and I don't want him to be. Can you do it?_"

As I back away from him, he puts his hand up to his head in a soldier salute, and then he slowly strolls up and comes to an end about three feet away from the Oak. Elliot peeks from behind the tree out of curiosity as he takes a look at Chester, yet still hides his body behind the tree.

"Elliot, Pokémon are not going to hurt you," Patty confirms as she walks over to Chester and pets him kindly, making the Scout Pokémon lean into her hand. "See? They are your friends."

Chester holds out his hand as an offer for the child to take it, but this makes Elliot shriek in terror and take cover behind the Oak. Chester sighs unhappily and looks at me, shrugging his shoulders, clueless as to know what to do next.

_Time for Plan B,_ I think and rise to my feet to walk over to Chester and sit myself down beside him with my legs crossed. I begin scratching around his puffy cheeks and ears, and the Scout Pokémon coos in delight, climbing on my lap. He lies down on his back, so I decide to scratch around his stomach; Chester's leg begins to shake rapidly with enjoyment.

Patty begins laughing, and this causes Elliot to once again peek out from behind the tree. I hear him chuckle lightly, and then he laughs a bit harder as he watches Chester's leg move. After, I stop rubbing Chester's belly who then sits straight up and gives me a smile as a sign of gratitude.

"_That was funny!_" Elliot laughs, holding onto his stomach and wiping away the joy-filled tears that are about to fall. Seeing Chester in a state of happiness-coupled with the fact that his leg shaking was pretty funny-must've settled him down a bit as he comes out from hiding and squats down in front of the Scout Pokémon, extending a hand and placing it on top of Chester's head where he begins to pet him gently. "_I like this Pokémon. He's funny!_" He then takes Chester into his arms, but without any kind of warning, Elliot parks himself down in my lap without my permission, making me jump from the surprise of his action.

Though I'd like to get him off of me, I can't bring myself to do it. Looking at Chester and Elliot playing patty-cake with each other brings a smile to my face. My hands run through his shaggy, dirty-blonde locks leisurely as the child and the Scout Pokémon interact.

Doing this almost makes me feel like I'm being a mother to this child, and at this point, who's to say I'm not trying to be? I've always noticed how motherly and caring I can be to my Pokémon, so why can't I be like this with children? And though this all feels very unusual to me, change is always better than sticking to a regular routine. I want to overcome my Selective Mutism so badly, but I know that I have to do it one little baby step at a time...

"_You know,_" Elliot begins, "_I always thought that Pokémon were mean and nasty, but now I know that they're really nice. I like this Pokémon a lot!_"

I smile as I observe the two newly-acquainted friends. _Pokémon are necessary creatures in this world of ours. If Pokémon are removed from our lives, what will happen to the children of the future generations? Will they have to live with the constant desire to know about the history of Pokémon and humans?_ These kinds of questions shoot across my mind as I recall the meeting in Accumula Town and hearing N talk about liberating Pokémon. I sigh sadly.

"Madelynn, is everything allright?" Patty asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I reply with a nod, and then glance down to see Elliot and Chester fast asleep. _Okay... this could be a problem..._

Suddenly, I feel the weight of the child being lifted off of my lap. As I look up, I notice Patty with Elliot in her arms, looking at me with a smile as she bows and walks away towards the school. Chester must've woken up from feeling all the commotion since I see him right beside me with a wide grin on his face.

"Thank you, Chester," I say to the Scout Pokémon, placing my fingers underneath his chin and scratching as thanks for what he's done. He returns this gesture of affection by hopping up onto my shoulder and snuggling up to my cheek.

Because of Chester, Elliot seems to be a little bit less on edge about Pokémon. I could tell that the boy really had a good time playing with Chester while it lasted.

Footsteps approach me. I look up to see Patty standing in front of me with some kind of glass container in her hands. This makes me rise to my feet to examine it, and within I see some kind of egg placed in the middle surrounded by a white blanket. Both me and Chester gape in awe as this is the first time we've seen a real-live Pokémon egg up close and personal.

"Madelynn, in return for everything you've done," Patty pauses to extend her arms out, offering me the container, "I want you to have this."

Before I take it from her, I write to her, '**Why me?**'

Patty smiles, "You see, I've been waiting to give this Pokémon egg to a kind, thoughtful trainer who will nurture it with love. I want to give it to you, Madelynn, because I know I can trust you to raise it with care. It's also a reward on behalf of everything you've done for Elliot. So, will you accept my gift?"

'**Of** **course.**' I write, and then cautiously take it out of her hands.

"Now remember to take good care of it while you're on your journey," Patty says to me. "I don't want to be wrong about entrusting you with this responsibility, Madelynn."

_What's that supposed to mean?!_ I think, becoming a bit perturbed at her last remark, but I ultimately bow to her as thanks for the present, and then place the container into my bag gently.

* * *

"Now, don't be a stranger!" Patty calls out to me as Julian, Chester and I walk down the steps and leave the school grounds. "You can come back any time you like!"

Just as I reach the bottom step, Elliot's voice halts my movement, "_Madelynn, hold on!_"

I turn back to see the boy running up to me with some kind of object in his hand. When he makes it to the staircase, he puts his hands on his knees and huffs a bit as he tries to find his breath. Afterwards, he stands up and offers me a folded paper heart; I take it with a smile.

"_If you open it... umm... you'll see a message inside,_" he mumbles under his breath, and then runs back over to Patty.

I resume walking down Route 2 and begin to open the heart, trying not to rip it in the process. Just like he said, there is a message inside, so I begin reading it:

_Madelynn,_

_Thank you for helping me get over my fear of Pokémon. I've learned a lot just from playing with your Patrat, and I hope that someday you'll be able to come back and play with me again. One day, when I'm older, I want to train Pokémon just like you, and maybe one day become a Gym Leader or the Champion of the Unova League! But, until that day comes, I'll just stick with learning about Pokémon in school. I'll be waiting for you to come by again, and I'll miss you every day until you return._

_Sincerely,_

_Elliot_

_How sweet,_ I think as I fold the message back up into its original, heart-shaped form and place it in my shorts pocket. I then ask my Pokémon, "So, how was your first day of Preschool? Did you guys have fun?"

Though I wait for a response, the only sounds that I hear from them are their snores. My interest goes to both Pokémon who've fallen fast asleep and drape over my shoulders. I laugh at the sight and retrieve Chester's pokéball to call him back to it. Once he's returns to the capture device, I put it back into my bag's pokéball compartment, and then take Julian down from my shoulder. I cradle him in my arms while he dreams peacefully and snores softly.

I maintain walking along the dirt road hoping that I'll make it to Nacrene City before darkness fell, but as it turns out, the hours of night are a couple steps ahead of me-coupled with the fact that I didn't get very far after leaving the Preschool-seeing as how the sun is already setting in the horizon. To avoid taking any wrong paths or wandering in the dark without any way of seeing, I decide to stop and rest for the night. After I set my sleeping bag down on the grass, I lie down and place Julian right next to me, and then pull the covers over both of us so that the cool breeze of night doesn't freeze us while we sleep.

The vast, tiny twinkles in the skies shine brightly as they light up the things that have been shadowed by dusk while the ever-beautiful, colorless moon rests high in the dark indigo heavens. I yawn as I listen to the calls of the night Pokémon as well as the sounds of a lake close by. This makes me terribly heavy-eyed, so I close my eyes and drift off to sleep...

* * *

**A/N: I love the improved chapter 6 a lot better than the old chapter 6. I like it a lot :)**


	7. In Comes Yukii Song

**A/N: Gaaaaaaahhhhh, I officially HATE improving, but I'd rather do it myself than have someone else do it for me. No offense... xD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form. :)**

* * *

The blazing star rises early in the morning as the indigo skies of night are altered to look orange and dark red. Julian and I had already gained the opportunity to train a bit by battling with some of the wild Pokémon around our camp site. Though I didn't catch any new Pokémon, a couple good things came from all those fights: Julian's now learned Water Sport and Focus Energy. However, he was incredibly tired from training, so I decided that we should take a break.

"Chester, why don't you come out and play for a while?" I say to the Scout Pokémon inside his pokéball. After, I aim it for the ground as the white flash discharges from the capture device and brings Chester into view. Julian surprises Chester with a tackle as a greeting, and then the Pokémon begin chasing each other all over the place.

I take the opportunity to relax as I sit down on the soft grass and remove the mystery Pokémon egg's container from my bag. While my eyes examine the egg a bit more closely, I notice that it's a yellowish color with some kind of red stripe around it. Being thorough as not to move it too much, I set it down on the ground carefully.

The egg fascinates me to no end, and I can't refrain from racking my brain for likely Pokémon possibilities. Maybe it was some kind of egg from another region like Sinnoh or Johto, or maybe even a rare Pokémon from right here in the Unova region... but, on the other hand, I wouldn't mind having a normal Pokémon. They're just as special as a rare or legendary Pokémon.

"Patrat, rat, patrat!" I hear Chester's voice come from beside me.

I face towards the Scout Pokémon yanking on Julian's arm impatiently. It appears Chester would like for Julian to see the egg as well since Chester's already seen it, and as the Scout Pokémon at long last hauls Julian over to me, he points at the glass container. Julian immediately goes into a state of admiration as he looks at it and walks closer to the container to peer through the glass.

"Are you two excited to be big brothers?" I ask them in which they respond by jumping around and hollering in joy.

"_**HEY! YOU CROOK****!**_"

A loud voice explodes from within the woods, making a flock of Pidove just above us take to the skies and cry out in surprise. Right when I'm about to look back to see where the voice came from, I suddenly become a human speed bump as someone-who I suggest was running full-speed at the time-topples over me, kicking my in the back of the head as the person falls to the ground with a thud. I seize the sore spot and rub it a bit to make it stop hurting. As I look up, I discover than the person's wearing the same outfit like the members of Team Plasma... and I also catch a glimpse of something pink in the individual's arms as the person flees the scene.

"Ouch!" I exclaim, putting a hand on the back of my head yet again as I feel the pain intensifying. "That jerk could've said 'I'm sorry' before running off like that." I rise up to my feet and dust my clothes off, and then reach a hand up to see if N's hat's still on my head which, unsurprisingly to me, didn't even budge.

"_**STOP RUNNING, YOU COWARD, AND FACE ME****!**_"

_There it is again..._ I think. When I turn around, I perceive a young-no more than ten years old it looks like-dark-brunette girl dressed in a black and pink martial arts outfit running my direction with some kind of Pokémon following right by her side. I fish out my Pokédex and aim it at the Pokémon. _**Sawk, the Karate Pokémon. Sawk train high up in the mountains by punching trees and rocks and the sound can be heard from far away.**_

"OshOsha!" Julian cries out in alarm.

Before I have the time to look up, the girl is already skidding towards me with her heels digging into the ground in an attempt to stop herself, but she's still coming at me pretty fast. Sooner than I can move out of the way, she crashes into me, sending both of us tumbling to the ground on our backsides just a few feet away from each other.

"Couldn't you've moved out of the way, lady?!" the girl shouts while Sawk helps her up to her feet. "Now I've lost some ground, and I have to find that guy again!" She stomps over to me with a glare and points a rigid finger in my face. "Stay out of my way!" Afterwards, she takes off down the road after the Team Plasma member, all while yelling furiously, "_**YOU BETTER HOPE TO YOUR PERSONAL GOD I DON'T FIND YOU! UNLESS YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE, GIVE ME BACK MY MUNNAAAAAA****!**_"

An awkward silence fills the air before I ask myself, "What... just happened?"

"OshOsha, oshawott, wott?" Julian questions as I turn my head to see him scurry over to me. He hops into my lap and cries as he tries to wrap his arms around my waist; however, they're too stubby and small, so I pet his head in reassurance that I am okay.

"Wait a minute," I say to myself as I look around to find no sign of Chester or the Pokémon egg container. "Oh no... don't tell me-!"

Just as I'm about to jump to my feet and look around for Chester and the egg, I hear the Scout Pokémon's voice come from behind me, "Rat, patrat?"

I whip my head around to find Chester holding the glass container in his arms with a smile. He walks over to me and sits it down, and then hops into my lap with a soldier salute. "Haha, now I know why you're called the Scout Pokémon. You watch for danger and get anything and anyone out of the way before it can get hurt." I place my hand on his head and stroke him as thanks. "You saved the egg, and for that, I'm grateful."

Nevertheless, my attention goes back to the girl who chased after that Team Plasma member like her life depended on it. She was in such a hurry... and very aggressive towards the guy. She said that she wanted her "Munna" back. Is that some kind of Pokémon? To answer my question, I search through my Pokédex and come across the Pokémon in question. _**Munna, the Dream Eater Pokémon. Munna can eat the dreams of people and Pokémon alike, and then project those dreams by emitting Dream Mist from their body.**_

The image on the Pokédex catches my attention almost immediately. It's pink... the same color as the object that man was running away with. _Oh, no! That jerk must've taken her Pokémon!_ I grab the glass container and place it in my bag, and then hop up to my feet and face Julian and Chester. "Hop up on my shoulders, guys! We've got a thieving Plasma member who needs to be taught a lesson!"

In unison, they nod and jump onto my shoulders, clinging to them tightly. With that, I take off for the girl, hoping that they didn't get very far and that I would catch up to them soon.

* * *

As I take a moment to rest and catch my breath, the girl's voice explodes from within the forest, "_**NOOOOO! WE LOST HIM****!**_" She doesn't sound very far away, actually... almost like she's right beside where we stand.

Suddenly, Julian and Chester dismount my shoulders and scamper over to a small shrub where they poke their heads through the leaves to get a better look. After, Julian extracts his head and waves an arm as a gesture to come closer. In reply, I move toward the hedge and descend to the ground on my hands and knees, and then stick my head through the bush.

There in front of us, I spot the young girl with her head resting against a tree. Then, to my surprise, she brings up a clenched hand and clobbers the hard bark of the sizeable Oak with such force that it creates a deep cavity within the tree that reaches up to her elbow. The wood splinters around her arm, and I watch as some of the fragments stab through her skin, making the red liquid drip down from her wounds and fall to their death as they come into contact with the ground; crimson droplets stain the brown soil beneath her feet a dark red color.

Then, while releasing a loud roar filled with pure, unadulterated rage, she begins attacking the tree relentlessly, slamming her fists into the bark with the same outcome like before as she takes out her anger. Though Sawk tries to stop this by seizing her arms and holding them back for a mere few moments, the girl jerks her arms out of his grip and continues her outburst, battering the Oak with no holds barred.

My Pokémon and I watch in shock as the girl unleashes one final, powerful blow that makes the tree give way and collapse to the ground just inches away from the girl, kicking up a large cloud of dust that shoots into the sky and veils her and Sawk. As it dissipates, I see the girl still standing in the same spot; her head hangs with regret while Sawk gapes at her in complete bewilderment, and then looks down at the hacked lumber that almost crushed his trainer.

This compels me to run out from behind the bush and come to a stop at her side. I notice her ivory skin is also discolored to match the color of the blood still dripping from her cuts, and as I look up at her face, I pay attention to the large tears that trickle down her cheeks and dampen the ground when they fall. Her knuckles are bruised and blood-spattered from hammering her fists into the tree.

"It's all my fault..." I hear her mumble silently under her breath as she drops to her knees and covers her face behind her hands to hide her tears. "It's all my fault my Munna was taken from me."

_The poor thing,_ I think and get down on my knees, but as soon as I place a comforting hand on her shoulder, she jerks away, and then looks up at me; her large, dark-emerald eyes watery from sobbing.

"H-hey, I know you," she states, drying her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "You're that lady I ran into a while back."

I nod as a reply.

She sniffles, still trying to cease her tears with her shirt sleeve as Sawk pats her on the back and talks softly to get her to settle down. Eventually, she's able to stop crying and lets out a sorrowing sigh. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Sawk." Her grief-stricken expression turns to shame, and she hangs her head to hide this. "I'll never do it again."

The Karate Pokémon shakes his head and wraps his arms around the small girl in a caring embrace and places her on his lap, stroking her long, dark-brown locks sympathetically. This brings tears to my eyes as well, but I wipe them away quickly before they have time to gather at the corners of my eyes. Just then, I feel my shoulders become heavier, and as I glimpse over, Chester and Julian are perched on them, looking at me with worry; I just shake my head with a smile to tell them that I'm fine.

Her attention comes back to me. "Did you... see what happened, too?"

Reluctantly, I nod, and then take out my pen and notepad to write something down, but before I can do that, she asks, "What are you doing?"

'**Just wait a minute.**' I simply write, and after I'm done showing it her, she nods. Once I'm finished writing, I hold it up to her and allow her to read it, '**So, what happened just now? Why'd you do that?**'

"It's all because of that guy who took my Munna," she begins as her eyes well up with tears once more. "I wasn't paying attention to her because I was training with Sawk, but when I heard her cry out for help, it was already too late. The man ran off with my Munna once I turned to see what was wrong, and after I bumped into you, I lost his track." She tries her hardest to keep her tears restrained. "I got so mad at the man... and so angry with myself that I had to take it out on something." Lines of water stream down her cheeks as she looks at her blood-saturated arms and hands. "It hurt, but I couldn't stop because the pain I felt was replaced by my anger and frustration."

I write, '**Well, you're hurt pretty bad. It would be a good time to bandage those cuts.**'

This seems to make her mad as she looks at me with anger in her eyes. "You think I need you to tell me what to do?! Who do you think you are?! My mom?!"

'**No, but I'm worried about you. You should cover those up before they're exposed to anything contagious in the air. If you put too much strain on your arms, your wounds will continue to get worse.**'

She rises from Sawk's lap and points a stern finger at me as she yells, "If I wanted to hear all that, I could've gone back home to listen to my parents complain!"

'**Look, I'm just trying to help.**'

"I don't want your freakin' help, lady!" she yells. "I can do things on my own, now! I don't need someone telling me what to do because I'm my own boss!"

'**Well, if you won't take my advice, then maybe I can help you look for your Pokémon.**'

"_**NOOO****!**_" she roars at the top of her lungs, making the woods around us become completely silent. "_**FOR THE SECOND TIME,** **I DON'T WANT YOUR FREAKING HELP!**_ And what are you gonna do when we find the guy, hmm?! Write him to death? I don't need the assistance of Silent Sally when all you do is write what you should be saying! I mean, what the heck's up with that anyways?!"

I exhale noisily from holding my breath while she yelled, and then write, '**It's a long story.**'

"Well, I don't have time for lengthy anecdotes, lady!" she affirms and turns to her Sawk. "C'mon, let's go find Munna!" Her eyes then revert to me and she gives me a menacing glare as she growls, "And I don't want you to follow me or come to my rescue. I'll save my Munna myself, so stay out of my business."

They take off without another word, leaving me behind with a blank expression as I recall the threat in her voice. Even Julian and Chester seem scared because I feel them shaking on my shoulders, but how can I just stand here-umm, maybe "sit here" are better words-and not think about how she's doing? What if she passes out from losing too much blood, or what if she gets into a fight with the guy and collapses due to exhaustion?

_I have to help her,_ I think and lift myself up off the ground, obtaining Chester's pokéball and calling him back to it without his say in the matter. I then turn to the Sea Otter Pokémon. "Julian, we're going to make sure that girl doesn't get hurt. If she does, we'll be right there to help her. Okay?"

"Oshawott!" he affirms with a nod.

_And, if anything else, we have to be careful..._

* * *

After a few minutes of nonstop running, I decide to take short break, but this is before I hear the girl's voice shout, "_**I SAID GIVE HER BACK TO ME****!**_"

"And what if we don't, ya little runt?"

This voice is unfamiliar to me for it is a male's. The yelling persists, yet all I can make out are the shouts and screams of both the girl and the man... and they sound nearby. Out of the corner of my left eye, I see two shadows moving amongst the clusters of trees beside me. I turn my head in that direction and hurry over to the trees where I hide behind them and examine the area.

In front of me are four figures: the girl and her Sawk, as well as two members of Team Plasma-a male and a female. I also notice that the woman has the Dream Eater Pokémon in her arms and is holding the Pokémon tight against her chest even though it's struggling to get out of its captor's grip.

"C'mon, little girl," the male entices, motioning her to come closer to him. "Show me what you've got."

She lets loose a terrifying growl as she dashes toward the male. Once she stops in front of him, she jumps off the ground and thrusts her leg straight out at the man; he dodges swiftly by turning to his side, taking hold of her foot with one hand and propelling her backwards with a forceful thrust of his palm. She lands on her backside a few feet away, but manages to stand up soon after as if unharmed. Again, she charges at him full throttle. This time, as she draws nearer, she drops to the ground and brings her right leg around, hooking his ankles and tripping him, making him fall to the earth hard on his back with a thud. She somersaults backward, and then gets into a fighting stance.

The male spits before getting to his feet and saying, "You ain't bad, kid."

"You are, though," she affirms with a scowl on her face. "Now give my Munna back to me."

"Tch, you wish," he states.

Just then, she appears right in front of him like greased lightning and crunches her fist into his right eye, forcing him to fly back at least twenty feet away from her and brutally smash into the ground which then creates a dust cloud that surrounds him, screening his body from our view, but once it clears, he is now standing up and covering his now bruised eye with his right hand.

_What amazing power!_ I think with a shudder after seeing the young girl display her monster-like strength. _She must be as strong as ten men to be able to do that for someone so young and so innocent-looking!_

She laughs heartily. "Haha-HA! How's that for showing you what I got?!" However, just when she gets through with this sentence, she limply collapses to the ground. I gasp as I watch Sawk shake her to get her to wake up, yet she is unresponsive.

At this moment, I know I have to help her out, so I force my body away from the cover of the trees and run to her side. Once I arrive, I crouch down next to her and put my head on her chest. After I hear her heart beat, I sigh with relief when I discover that she is, in fact, okay. I rule this as exhaustion after all of the activity she performed just moments ago, but as I look down at her arms, they're still dripping blood, so maybe she lost too much.

My shoulder feels lighter than before, now. I look over to my right to find Julian pointing his scalchop at the man and shouting furiously at him; sometimes the Sea Otter Pokémon goes back and forth between the male and the female members, pointing at the male, and then the female, then the male, and so on... as if not knowing who to yell at or who to be angry with more, but he is pretty ticked off as by the tone and loudness of his voice. He growls and stares, but as he does this, a Purrloin comes out from behind the female and sits beside its trainer with a wicked glare; Julian just returns the look.

The female member laughs scornfully, "Don't you know that it's improper for a Pokémon to stare like that? You obviously haven't taught it much manners."

_Oh, I haven't taught _mine_ any manners?_ I sneer at the thought as I look at the woman and the Purrloin, but my attention immediately goes back to the girl. _I have to get her out of here before any more damage is done._ I look up at Sawk and tell him, "Can you carry her out of here? Don't worry, I'll save her Munn-Agh!" Before I have time to finish my sentence, something tackles me forcefully and knocks me down flat on my back.

"OshOsha!" Julian cries out in alarm.

As I sit up to see the perpetrator, I find a Lillipup standing in front of me with a devious grin on its face.

I hear the man whom Yukii had punched earlier laugh, "HA! No one's going anywhere! Not until we take your Pokémon and free them from their captivity!"

Just as I'm about to get up off the ground, the Puppy Pokémon growls and snarls at me... almost like it's telling me to stay where I am or else. _This is absolutely unbelievable! Now even the Pokémon under their care are acting just as criminal as the members of Team Plasma! _The very thought of that makes me detest them even more.

"Oh, and don't worry," the female begins, "we'll make sure that your Pokémon learn to behave better by the time we liberate Pokémon from people across the Unova region!"

_No! No, that won't happen! I... I won't let it-!_

"_**OSHAWOTT, OSHA****!**_" Julian shouts in a rage, cutting of my thoughts and then becoming enveloped in a glowing white light that shines as brilliantly as the moon. We all watch in amazement as the Sea Otter Pokémon begins to develop and change before our eyes.

Once the bright light breaks away from his body, it reveals an entirely different Julian than before. He's become noticeably taller, his body's colored all light blue except for a dark blue, fringed adornment that covers his thighs, and instead of one scalchop, he now has two, yet they are placed on different sides of his adornment. While the others are distracted, I take the opportunity and reach into my bag to retrieve my Pokédex, and then I scan the new and improved Julian. _**Dewott, the Discipline Pokémon, and the evolved form of Oshawott. Through rigid training, Dewott uses the double-scalchop technique to accomplish its fluid swordsmanship.**_

A faint glow makes me look up from the Pokédex where I find Julian with both scalchops in hand. A light blue aura stretches from the shining shells and curves to form blade-like weapons. Suddenly, he pushes off the ground forcefully with his legs and cuts through the air like a speeding bullet, hurtling himself at the Lillipup. Once he's close enough to the Pokémon, he performs a vertical uppercut with his right scalchop, making the Lillipup shoot into the sky with a whine of pain. As it plummets to the ground, it begins to accelerate, ultimately crashing into the ground and stirring up a cloud of dust around it.

Julian looks over his shoulder as the curved, blue aura is withdrawn back into the shells and looks at me worriedly. "Dewott, dew, dewott?"

"I... I'm fine, Julian," I affirm with a smile and extend my arm to place a kind hand on his head, petting him as a sign of my gratitude for his actions.

Then, a faint, yet perceptible, ringing noise sounds throughout the now dead-quiet wooded area. I watch the man putting a hand up to his ear as he seems to be concentrating on something. He then turns to face the female, "Change of plans. Boss wants us to go to Nacrene City immediately."

This seems to confuse her, "But, what about-?"

"Boss' orders," the male interrupts, taking the Munna from her arms and then walking over to me. As soon as he gets as close to me as he wants to, he holds out the Pokémon with a glare as he says to me, "Now take it before we change our minds."

Instantaneously, my arms shoot out to seize the Dream Eater Pokémon and hold it close to me as its body trembles in fear.

The male backs away from me to come to a stop near the female's side and says to her, "Let's get outta here! I'll explain everything to you when we get there."

Afterwards, they both take off into the thick woods while their Pokémon trail behind them. I retreat to the young girl's side and sit on my knees next to her; she begins to stir from her recent fainting episode, and once she becomes fully conscious, her eyes widen at the sight of the Munna in my arms.

"M-Munna?" she questions in disbelief, and then grabs onto Munna, embracing the Pokémon while tears stream down her cheeks. She says to it as it nuzzles into her chest, "It'll be allright, Munna. I've got you, now."

"DewDewott, wott, dew?" Julian asks, making me turn away from the reunion and see the Discipline Pokémon smiling at me. Then, he comes closer to me and collapses in my lap, clinging to me by wrapping his arms around my waist and embracing me with all his strength. This startles me a bit, but I return his feelings by placing a hand on his back and patting him in a comforting way.

"Why are you being so affectionate, Julian?" I ask him.

He responds by tightening his grip around my waist and cozying up to my stomach with a content expression on his face.

Suddenly, it hits me. When he was an Oshawott, his stubby arms prevented him from ever holding me close, so he had to manage with me hugging him. Now that he's evolved, he is finally able to put his arms around me and actually hug me back. I smile at the thought as I bring my hand up to the top of his head and pet him understandingly.

"Um, I wanna thank you," the girl speaks.

I look over my shoulder and shake my head in denial of her gratitude toward me. After, I remove Julian's arms from my waist and rise to my feet, and then take out my pen and notepad to write down, '**I didn't really do anything.**'

"I... should've listened to you, though," she affirms with a sigh, looking down at her arms which are still bleeding a bit. Suddenly, she shakes her head and flashes me a wide grin. "Besides, you saved Munna, and even though I told you to stay away, you came to the rescue anyways!" She gives me a thumbs up. "You ain't so bad, lady!"

'**First off, the name's Madelynn.**' I write quickly.

Her face turns a bright red; she brings her hand up to the back of her head and scratches it in embarrassment. "Hahaha, I guess I was so caught up with trying to save Munna that I forgot to ask you your name and introduce myself!" She clears her throat before her and Sawk bow to me. "I am Yukii Song, and this is my partner, Sawk."

'**It's very nice to meet you, Yukii, but though I'd like to stick around, I better get going.**' Once I show it to her, I bow and walk off, but I'm immediately stopped as Yukii and Sawk jump over my head and land right in front of me, holding out their hands in a "halt" gesture.

"And just where do you think you're going?" she questions with a flustered tone of voice and a cocked eyebrow. She continues before I can write anything down, "There ain't no way I'm just gonna let you leave me here. I owe you big time for saving my Munna, and until that time comes, I'll be tagging along with ya for the time being."

'**You don't really owe me anything. I was just helping because it's common courtesy.**'

She waved off my last comment with a shake of her index finger, "There ain't no way you're writing your way outta this one lady-er, uuhhh, I mean... Madelynn. From now on, until I can repay you, I'm not leaving your side."

I shake my head at her need to feel like she has to repay me, but I accept her offer to travel with me, and then place the two objects in my hand back into their pocket in my bag.

While Yukii marches in front of me with Sawk by her side and Munna resting atop her head, I can't help but think what Team Plasma wants to do at Nacrene City. Are they going to have another rally there, or will they just start stealing Pokémon willy-nilly like they did with Yukii's Munna?

Suddenly, I feel a hand slip into mine. As I look down, I discover that the hand is Julian's. He walks beside me with a casual expression on his face like he's doing absolutely nothing, and I can't help but smile at him. My fingers wrap around his hand while we walk down Route 3 to Nacrene City. Hopefully, we don't have to run into Team Plasma there or be part of another gathering... but then again, what the hell am I saying? Team Plasma pops up in the most random and the most unexpected of times that it's nearly impossible to tell where they are at what time and what they are planning to do. Please, just let me have a regular Gym battle in a regular town without having to go through what I went through last time.

Heaven forbid anything like_ that_ happens again...

* * *

**A/N: T.H.I.S. T.O.O.K. E.V.E.N. L.O.N.G.E.R. T.H.A.N. T.H.E. O.L.D. C.H.A.P.T.E.R. 7. Dx ... And it's over five thousand words? Holy crap... I'm freakin' nuts!**


End file.
